I am a doctoral candidate at the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholar. I hold a BA in Psychology from Boston College and a MSW in Community Social Work and MA in International Human Rights from the University of Denver. My post-MSW experience includes work in community development, adult protection, and crisis intervention. Most recently, I worked for the public health department in Spokane, Washington to coordinate early intervention services and organize community members around neighborhood health. 

I am broadly interested in the social determinants of maternal, infant, and child health and am currently exploring how urban neighborhood environments impact reproductive health outcomes. My dissertation, Exploring the Relationship Between Historical Redlining and Place-Based Reproductive Health Inequities: A Qualitative GIS Approach, is a mixed-methods study examining spatial inequities in preterm birth in the City and County of Denver. I also serve as a project manager for the Colorado NICU Study, a multi-site, interdisciplinary research project examining barriers and facilitators to maternal engagement in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Through my research, I aim to better understand how neighborhood conditions impact maternal, infant, and child health in order to influence place-based policy interventions that center maternal expertise. 

Contact Information:

Kristi Roybal

2148 S High St

Denver, CO 80208

kristi.roybal@du.edu

Curriculum Vitae:

Roybal_CV_Feb21.pdf