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Community health education doctoral student Saharra Dixon and colleagues in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS) have received the Health Promotion Practice 2024 Sarah Mazelis Paper of the Year for their publication, “Stacked Up Against Us: Using Photovoice and Participatory Methods to Explore Structural Racism’s Impact on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Inequities.” The award will be formally presented at an awards ceremony on April 17 during the three-day Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) Annual Conference in Long Beach, California.

The Sarah Mazelis Paper of the Year Award recognizes authors whose peer-reviewed articles published in the journal Health Promotion Practice have made significant contributions to advancing the practice of health education and health promotion programs, policy or professional preparation.

“I am incredibly proud of this paper and honored by this award,” Dixon says. “As my first publication as lead author in a public health journal, this recognition is a testament to the invaluable support I’ve received throughout this journey. This work underscores the role of arts and culture in public health—a conversation that is gaining momentum. I truly believe UMass Amherst SPHHS is well-positioned to lead these important discussions.”

In her paper, Dixon and collaborators, including senior author and faculty advisor Aline Gubrium, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, explore how a youth participatory action research study used photovoice and community mapping to explore how structural violence like racism impacts the sexual and reproductive health of historically excluded youth as they navigate unjust socio-political landscapes.

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Youth participants in the study used photography and community maps to identify how the experience of bias, profiling, and tokenism impacted their ability to navigate complex social systems.  With youth voices prioritized, participants explored ways to address structural racism in their lives.

Through an arts and culture in public health framework, the researchers provided an analysis of the ways structural racism functions as a gendered racial project and fundamental cause of adolescent sexual and reproductive health inequities, while identifying pathways toward liberation in pursuit of health and well-being.

More information on Dixon’s award and research can be found on the SPHHS website.