Kene Orakwue [she/they] is currently a third year Ph.D. student in the Health Services Research, Policy & Administration program at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and an RA at the Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity (CARHE). Kene received their MPH with a concentration in Health Policy & Management (‘22), their B.S. in Public Health Sciences with a focus area in Global Women's Health (‘21), and a certificate in Reproductive Health, Rights & Justice (‘21) from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Kene is a health equity scholar, activist, and practitioner. Grounded in Black feminist theory, reproductive justice, and other critical frameworks, their scholarship aims to interrogate racial formation and meaning, whilst better understanding the impact on health status and differential healthcare experiences from oppressive systems. Their current work focuses on maternal health, specifically working to end the Black maternal health crisis.They are dedicated to dismantling oppressive systems and strive every day to move closer to building a world where people not only live but thrive.

Authored by Kene Orakwue, M.P.H.