This summer, Dr. Tiffany Green was named the Gloria E. Sarto, MD, Ph.D. Chair in Women’s Health and Equity Research. While many may think that this honor would go to a medical practitioner, Dr. Tiffany Green is approaching reproductive equity as an economist and population health scientist who brings her knowledge and experience to bear in support of reproductive equity for Black communities.
After completing her undergraduate degree in economics from Florida A&M University, Dr. Green earned the Ph.D. in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her first position was as a postdoctoral fellow with the Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholars Program in the UW-Madison Department of Population Health Sciences and the Health Disparities Research Scholars Program in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. After working as a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University for several years, she returned to UW-Madison as a professor in the Departments of Population Health Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2019.
Green highlights that the reproductive justice issue takes on a particular set of concerns in Black communities that both coincides with and diverges from discussions led by white women. As white women have framed public discourse about reproductive justice, Black women have reacted to their abortion-centered message to advocate for holistic reproductive care that includes concerns for economic justice.
For Black communities, abortion is often considered taboo, but Green calls this thinking outdated because “it’s been a common occurrence since people have been getting pregnant.” As an economist, she reminds us that Black bodies and capitalism have always been intertwined in the United States because our bodies have been sources of both labor and capital. Controlling our bodies has been fundamental to our experience, so our freedom requires bodily autonomy, including how, when, and if we give birth. This means that reproductive justice is concerned with more than just abortion. We must also focus on IVF access and access to family building assistance for those who want to delay parenting.
One economic issue that Green has studied is birth cost recovery associated with delivery under the Badgercare program where unwed, non-custodial fathers are charged for part of birthing costs, which has economic impact on Black and Brown communities.
Presently, Dr. Green is the director of the Reproductive Equity Action Lab (REAL) in the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. The lab’s tag line, “Envisioning a world that guarantees reproductive autonomy, equity, and justice,” captures a shift in Green’s career. Where she once described herself as a “child and maternal health researcher,” she now identifies as a “full spectrum reproductive equity scholar.” Why the change? “Because you shouldn’t have to be pregnant for us to care about you,” Green stated. “Black people deserve good things if they are pregnant or not.”
When she is not working within academic or community spaces advocating for reproductive equity, Green likes to escape. “The world is really hard,” she says, and her response to that difficulty is to escape into books. A self-described bibliophile, Green enjoys science fiction, space operas, and other forms of fantasy. She also enjoys escaping through travel. In Madison, she takes time away from her husband and 2 young children in a kayak. “The lakes here are underrated,” Green says. She finds her time on the lakes to be a sort of solo getaway that allows her to recharge.
Although she enjoys her time away, Green also values community and social life. She has found community within the local Jack and Jill chapter. Here, her family has been able to connect with other Black families who are committed to raising whole, healthy, and happy Black children. She is hoping to get back to social dancing, a pastime that COVID paused in her life.
As we approach the November election where reproductive equity is on the ballot, Green encourages us to learn about how government works at all levels and to pay more attention to local elections because of how they shape our daily lives. She also urges us to vet our information sources because it is so hard to know who to trust. Look for evidence for the claims that people make because “those who care about evidence meet people where they are.”
Green also encourages the community to connect with the REAL Lab. Visit their website at http://real.smph.wisc.edu to learn about opportunities for involvement, including a community advisory board.
