2025 WCHRI Summer Student

Understanding reproductive health after displacement and trauma

Jasmine Virk’s research explores how grief and trauma from being forced from their homes affect the reproductive health and choices of women in Northern Nigeria. By understanding these challenges, she hopes to provide insights to help create more culturally sensitive health policies.

Her study was based on interviews with 29 women and 10 health-care providers in refugee camps. By analyzing their experiences, she wants to see how trauma influences decisions about things like family planning and getting maternal care. 

“Research is the foundation of meaningful advocacy. It starts with listening, understanding, and reflecting before we act, and that’s the beauty of this work.”

Goals:

• Understand how grief and trauma affect the health-seeking behaviours and reproductive choices of displaced mothers.
• Uncover patterns in grief responses and coping strategies among women in crisis settings.
• Provide actionable recommendations for integrating mental health and reproductive health services.

Potential impact: This research addresses a critical gap in maternal health by focusing on a marginalized and underserved population. The findings can help inform the development of policies and interventions that are not only culturally sensitive but also trauma-informed, ensuring that displaced mothers receive equitable and effective care.

Supervisor: Oluwakemi Amodu, assistant professor, Faculty of Nursing

Funder: Alberta Women’s Health Foundation

Interested in doing research to improve the health of women and/or children? Read more about WCHRI’s training awards for students at all levels and generous grants for researchers.