Who we are
The Sexual Health, Education, and Rights (SHER) Lab designs, implements, and evaluates interventions related to reproductive rights and sexual health in Louisiana and the broader Deep South. We are an independently-run lab, supported by the Mary Amelia Center for Women's Health Equity Research, nolaHYPE (Healthy Youth Thru Empowerment and Engagement), and The Violence Prevention Institute at The Tulane University Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
Our lab is a coalition of scholars, students, community organizers, and practitioners dedicated to improving the current state of sexual health, education and rights in our state and region. We support grassroots organizers and community interventions with technical assistance—including, but not limited to, program design, implementation, grant-writing, and impact evaluations. We also link organizers with student collaborators to advance their goals.
Dr. Hannah Baron (Tulane University) and Dr. Victoria Williams (Birthmark Doula Collective) direct the lab. Dr. Katherine Theall, Dr. Julia Fleckman, and Dr. Manuel A. Ocasio serve on the Lab’s faculty advising committee.
Our core community and practitioner partners for 2024-25 include:
Ryann Martinek, MPH, Sexual and Reproductive Health Specialist, New Orleans Health Department
Glenis Scott, Jr., MPH, Prevention Programs Manager, CrescentCare
Morris Singletary, Founder and Executive Director, The Pozitive2Positive Initiative
Aquil Bey, NRP, Community Health Advocate and Executive Director, Freestanding Communities
Partner organizations for our previous and/or ongoing interventions include: nolaHYPE, New Orleans Musicians Clinic and Assistance Foundation, Covenant House, Family Service of Greater Baton Rouge, The New Orleans Health Department, St. Thomas Community Health, Odyssey House Louisiana, Louisiana Office of Public Health, Bounce 2 Zero, Women With a Vision, Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response (STAR), Birthmark Doula Collective, Viiv HealthCare, Shero NOLA / MOMentum Park, The Louisiana Abortion Fund, The Family Justice Center, Connections Psychotherapy & Wellness, Bike N Vote, The Power Coalition for Equity & Justice, New Orleans Regional AIDS Planning Council (NORAPC), Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies (IWES), Health Care for the Homeless (HCH), Explicitly Me, Daughters Beyond Incarceration, Jane's Place, Market Umbrella, Vera Institute of Justice, Reproductive Justice Action Collective (REJAC), the New Orleans Public Library, the Greater New Orleans Caring Collective, and Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast.