HOMME Lab

Health. Opportunities. Mobile-Health. Mamas. Equity

What we do.

Our lab focuses on multi-level community partnered participatory approaches to support birthing persons and their families primarily through developing, implementing, and evaluating perceptions, experiences, and health outcomes in perinatal care. Further, we study the roles of communities, policies, and birth equity workers (doulas, childbirth educators) on the health of birthing persons and their families. Additionally, we examine ways to promote breastfeeding/chest feeding equity with an emphasis in Black families. Lastly, we assess how the structural and social determinants of health play an integral role on maternal and infant health

Video Courtesy of Ellen Branch

Look at our work!

Recruiting Participants for Research Study

Our Team

Dr. Kacie Blackman

Principal Investigator

Click Here for Bio!

Dr. Thomas Chan

Developmental Health Researcher

Wyconda Cotton-Curtis

Research Assistant

Destiny Varela

Research Assistant

Pauline De la Cruz

Research Assistant

Harmony Whiting

Research Assistant

Kira Faerstain

BSPH Intern

Duaa Mohammed Shameem

MPH Research Assistant

Kate Gregg

BSPH Intern

Brenda Simonian

LAEP Research Assistant

Caitlynn Thomas

Research Assistant

Denise Jimenez

BSPH Intern

Mahi Morou

LAEP Research Assistant

Malak Elokur

MPH Research Assistant

Alishia Sandoval

CSUN ARCS Associate

Monica Ahumada Heen

CSUN ARCS Fellow

Our Alumni

Vanessa Barajas

Former Research Assistant

Brandi Sims

Former Research Assistant

Janelle Blackman

Former Laboratory Manager

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Adelaine Libao

Former Research Assistant

Anais Ruiz

Former Research Assistant

Celest Garcia

Former Research Assistant

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Jada Cantrell

Former Research Assistant

Maryam Abdul

Former Research Assistant

Brianna Alafaro

Former Research Assistant

Jessica Brennan

Former Research Assistant

Melanie Mejia

Former Research Assistant

Karen Wong

Former Research Assistant

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Nixie Medellin

Former Research Assistant

Jessica Dawodu

Former Research Assistant

Alejandro Arjona

Former Research Assistant

Aditya Sharma

Former Research Assistant

Zakariah Robinson

Former Research Assistant

Katherine Urrutia

Former Research Assistant

Siddha Patel

Former Research Assistant

Detrich Galloway

Former Research Assistant

Kalila Houston

Former Research Assistant

Summer Rose Slim

Former Research Assistant

Adinai Seiitbek

Former Research Assistant

Maya Habash

Former Research Assistant

TaVia Wooley

Former Research Assistant

Rachel Bradford

Former Research Assistant

Join our Team!

Please submit your resume/cv and a 1 page writing sample to Kacie.blackman@csun.edu

 “And so, lifting as we climb, onward and upward we go, struggling and striving, and hoping that the buds and blossoms of our desires will burst into glorious fruition ‘ere long. “ Mary Church Terrell

Our Supporters

Our Projects

Selected Conference Presentations

Conference

Morou, M., Simonian, B., Pickering, T.A., Blackman, K.C.A. (2024, April 5). Birth equity workers glowing an insight into doulas’ states of stress. CSUNposium. Northridge, CA

Conference

Valentine, W., Blackman, K.C.A, Merchant, M. (June 2020). Guiding Cultural Humility for Black Families and Infant and Toddler Caregivers. California Association for the Education of Young Children. afterschool programs. Journal of Mobile Technology in Medicine, 5(1), 33-44.

Conference

Cotton-Curtis, W.D., and Blackman, K.C.A. (March 2020). The marketing of infant/follow-up formula and lactation resources in the retail environment among Black and non-Hispanic White communities within Los Angeles County. CSUNposium.

Conference

Barajas, V., Medellin, N., and Blackman, K.C.A. (March 2020). Development of the Infant Feeding Measures Survey. CSUNposium. County. CSUNposium.

Conference

Libao, A., Garcia, C., and Blackman, K.C.A. (March 2020). Development of a coding tool for lactation policies in higher education institutions. CSUNposium.

Conference

Cotton-Curtis, W.D., and Blackman, K.C.A. (January 2020). The availability of infant/follow-up formula and lactation resources in the retail environment among Black and non-Hispanic White communities within Los Angeles County. California Breastfeeding Coalition Summit.

Conference

Blackman, K.C.A., Valentine, W., and Merchant, M.A. (January 2020). What’s milk got to do with it?: An evaluation report. California Breastfeeding Coalition Summit.

Conference

Valentine, W., Blackman, K., Burnham, L. (April 2019). Pregnancy is an experience, not a medical condition. City of Hope’s Minority Cancer Awareness Week Forum. .

Conference

Smiley, S.L., Blackman, K.C.A., Kintz, N., Rodriguez, Y.L., Barahona, R., Baezconde-Garbanati, L. (November 2018). A continuing challenge for health equity: mentholated cigarette marketing at the point-of-sale in southern California. American Public Health Association.

Conference

Blackman, K.C.A, Carlos-Henderson, J-A., Garland, W., Kulkarni, S, Rumanes, S. (August 2018). A comparison of pregnant women with syphilis with and without a history of incarceration in Los Angeles County from 2014-2016. STD Prevention Conference

Conference

Community Presentations (selected) Valentine, W., Palmer, A., and Blackman, K.C.A. (March 2020). BreastfeedLA-iDREAM for Racial Health Equity, Evaluation Update on Chocolate Milk: The Documentary Film Screening. The Los Angeles County African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Prevention Service Planning Area 6/8 (South LA/South Bay) meeting.

Conference

Cotton-Curtis, W.D., and Blackman, K.C.A. (January 2020). The availability of infant/follow-up formula and lactation resources in the retail environment among Black and non-Hispanic White communities within Los Angeles County. California Breastfeeding Coalition Summit.

Conference

Blackman, K.C.A., Valentine, W., and Merchant, M.A. (January 2020). What’s milk got to do with it?: An evaluation report. California Breastfeeding Coalition Summit. communities within Los Angeles County. California Breastfeeding Coalition Summit.

Conference

Valentine, W., Blackman, K., Burnham, L. (April 2019). Pregnancy is an experience, not a medical condition. City of Hope’s Minority Cancer Awareness Week Forum.

Conference

Valentine, W., Blackman, K., Burnham, L. (April 2019). Pregnancy is an experience, not a medical condition. City of Hope’s Minority Cancer Awareness Week Forum.

Conference

Smiley, S.L., Blackman, K.C.A., Kintz, N., Rodriguez, Y.L., Barahona, R., Baezconde-Garbanati, L. (November 2018). A continuing challenge for health equity: mentholated cigarette marketing at the point-of-sale in southern California. American Public Health Association.

Conference

Blackman, K.C.A, Carlos-Henderson, J-A., Garland, W., Kulkarni, S, Rumanes, S. (August 2018). A comparison of pregnant women with syphilis with and without a history of incarceration in Los Angeles County from 2014-2016. STD Prevention Conference

Selected Publications

Publication

Pereira, E., Estabrooks, P.A., Arjona, A., Cotton-Curtis, W., Lin, J., Saetermoe, C., Blackman, K.C.A. (2022). A systematic literature review of breastfeeding initiation, continuation and duration on black population using the RE-AIM Framework. International Breastfeeding Journal, 17, 86.
DOI Link

Publication

Shodahl, S., Banerjee, M., Russell, A., Blackman, K.C.A. (2022). In-store marketing of infant and follow-on formula, and lactation support products in black and non-Hispanic white zip codes across Los Angeles County. The California Geographer, 61.
DOI Link

Publication

Blackman, K.C.A, Slama, D.S., Pickering, T.A., Russell, A., Valentine, W., Merchant, M.A., & Saetermoe, C. (2022). Evaluation of a breastfeeding promotion film among a racially minoritized sample. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 22, 262.
DOI Link

Publication

Smiley, S.L., Cho, J., Cruz, T.B., Blackman, K.C.A., Rodriguez, Y.L., Barahona, R., Pentz, M.A., Samet, J.M., & Baezconde-Garbanati, L. (2021). Retail marketing of menthol cigarettes in Los Angeles, California: A challenge to health equity. Preventing Chronic Disease, 18, E11.
DOI Link

Publication

Blackman, K.C.A.​, Smiley, S.L., Kintz, N., Rodriguez, Y.L., Bluthenthal, R.N., Chou, C-P, Cruz, T.B., Barahona, R., Pentz, M., Samet, J., & Baezconde-Garbanati, L. (2019). Retailers’ perceptions of FDA tobacco regulatory authority. Tobacco Regulatory Science. 5(3), 291-300.
DOI Link

Publication

Estabrooks P., Harden S.M., & Blackman K.C.A. (2013, 2019). RE-AIM Guidelines. In: Gellman M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY.
DOI Link

Publication

Smiley, S.L., ​Blackman, K.C.A.​, Bluthenthal, R.N., Rodriguez, Y.L., Barahona, R., Sussman, S., Pentz, M., Samet, J., & Baezconde-Garbanati, L. (2018). “Who’s really regulating? Who’s benefiting”: Exploring Black stakeholders’ awareness and trust in the Food and Drug Administration’s role as a tobacco regulator. Tobacco Regulatory Science. 4(4), 41-49.
DOI Link

Publication

Cerrada, C.J., Dzubur, E., Blackman, K.C.A., Mays, V., Shoptaw, S., Huh, J. (2017). Development of a just-in-time adaptive intervention for smoking cessation among Korean American emerging adults. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. 24(5), 665-672.
DOI Link

Our Collaborators

Contact Us

18111 Nordhoff St, Northridge, CA 91330. Lilac as shown below.

homme.lab@csun.edu
+1 818 677 4926

Follow Us

@csunhommelab

@hommelab7761

@CHommelab