Paulina Guerrero

Paulina Guerrero, PhD, serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies and Affiliate Professor in the Department of English at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her interdisciplinary work bridges folklore, gender studies, and community health with a focus on reproductive justice advocacy and Latinx feminisms.

Her research centers on Reproductive Justice, Gender Studies, and Folklore, examining emotional support systems for pregnancy decisions, transglobal music movements, and gendered maritime traditions. She employs community-engaged methodologies that integrate vernacular knowledge systems and prioritize marginalized voices, particularly in Latinx communities and reproductive healthcare contexts.

Guerrero's publication trends reveal a shift toward urgent reproductive health research since 2020, with increasing emphasis on qualitative analysis of abortion support services and truth-telling in politically contested environments. Her earlier cultural studies work on Puerto Rican autonomy informs current reproductive justice frameworks through shared themes of community resilience.

She secured the Humanities Research Center 5x5 Research Grant as Principal Investigator for Reproductive Justice storytelling research and co-led an 18-month All-Options/Ibis Reproductive Health project analyzing emotional support for abortion seekers. Her congressional testimony (2022) directly informed national policy discussions on abortion access.

Guerrero collaborates with interdisciplinary teams spanning Narrative Studies, Black Digital Feminism, Theater, Pediatrics, Religion, and Clinical Gender-Inclusive Care to address challenges in veracity and truth-telling within reproductive justice advocacy, particularly regarding AI and misinformation impacts.