Michele Griswold

Michele Griswold serves as an Assistant Professor in the Public Health Department within the College of Health and Human Services at Southern Connecticut State University. A dedicated health equity scholar with decades of clinical and advocacy experience in maternal-child nursing and public health policy.

Her educational background includes:

• BSN from Salve Regina University
• MPH from Southern Connecticut State University
• PhD in Nursing from University of Massachusetts Medical School, Graduate School of Nursing

Dr. Griswold's research centers on dismantling unjust social barriers to breastfeeding through critical examination of racism's impact on birth outcomes, structural determinants in housing/job settings, and reproductive justice for women living with HIV. Her work uniquely bridges clinical lactation expertise (as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant since 2001) with policy advocacy addressing commercial determinants of health and unethical infant formula marketing. She employs diverse methodologies including critical race theory, photovoice, and metasynthesis to expose systemic inequities.

Analysis of her 12 most recent publications (2015-2025) reveals consistent focus on breastfeeding equity through three interconnected lenses: 1) Racial disparities in maternal-infant health outcomes (7 articles), 2) HIV-positive women's breastfeeding experiences (3 articles), and 3) Structural barriers in policy and commercial environments (4 articles). Her scholarship increasingly incorporates intersectional frameworks examining policing, housing, and workplace dynamics.

As a prominent leader in lactation advocacy, she co-founded and chaired the Connecticut Breastfeeding Coalition and served as Past President and Advocacy Advisor for the International Lactation Consultant Association, where she managed relationships with WHO, UNICEF, and United Nations entities to advance global breastfeeding policies.

Her funded research includes:

• $5,000 CSU grant (2022-2023) using photovoice to explore campus breastfeeding experiences
• SCSU Social Justice Committee grant for reproductive justice framework development

Current projects focus on applying reproductive justice principles to public health practice through community-academic partnerships.

Dr. Griswold teaches advanced courses in Public Health Policy, Leadership, Program Evaluation, and Maternal-Child Health, emphasizing social determinants and commercial influences on health outcomes. Her practice-oriented approach prepares students for advocacy roles addressing systemic health inequities.