Safyer McKenzie-Sampson

Safyer McKenzie-Sampson is the John G. Searle Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She is a certified full-spectrum community doula and a health equity researcher focusing on racial discrimination's impact on perinatal outcomes in Black communities.

• PhD in Epidemiology and Translational Science, University of California San Francisco
• MS in Public Health, McGill University
• BS in Biopharmaceutical Science, University of Ottawa

Her research examines multi-level impacts of structural racism and maternal nativity on adverse perinatal outcomes, with a focus on translating findings into interventions for birth justice. She led the AZANIA study on pregnancy experiences of African immigrants in California.

Her recent publications analyze racial disparities in perinatal health across nativity groups, structural racism correlations, and economic segregation effects on maternal/infant outcomes.

Areas of expertise: Health Equity, Racism, Reproductive Health, Women’s Health, Structural Discrimination, and Maternal/Infant Epidemiology.