The Transitions project explores how mothers in the United States experience learning to breastfeed in the hospital. Using Qualitative Description (QD) methods, we are generating hypotheses about how birth hospitals are shaping the breastfeeding journeys of their clients, and how these institutions might better achieve their goals of promoting the health and well-being of mothers and their infants. Principal Investigators are Mackenzie Whipps and Hirokazu Yoshikawa. We are currently funded by an NYU Office of Doctoral Studies’ competitive research grant .
For recent publications to come out of this project, click here.
For more information on how to apply as a research assistant or research fellow on this project, see NYU’s Applied Psychology Fieldwork site.
Transitions Research Team
Mackenzie Whipps (Principal Investigator)
Mackenzie is a current doctoral candidate in NYU Steinhardt’s Applied Psychology department. Her research focuses on parental decision-making in context.
Alejandro Tinajero (Research Supervisor)
Alejandro Tinajero is a sociologist interested in the intersections of race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status in education, but is also very curious about the experiences of mothers learning to breastfeed for the first time.
Julia Honoroff (Senior Coder)
Julia graduated with a Bachelors in Psychology, and will be attending Northwestern’s Doctoral program in Human Development and Social Policy in 2019. She hopes to study and develop interventions to support at-risk families.
Jeea Yang (Senior Coder)
Jeea graduated with a Masters in Mental Health Counseling from NYU in 2018 and will be attending a Clinical Doctoral program at Palo Alto University in 2019. She hopes to become a Clinical Psychologist with a focus on culturally-sensitive, trauma-responsive care for marginalized individuals.
Devorah Mayteles (Senior Coder)
Devorah is currently a research associate at Bellevue Hospital in NYC while pursuing a Masters in Mental Health Counseling. She hopes to become a Clinical Psychologist.
Ellen Marte (Senior Coder)
Ellen is currently enrolled as a Masters student at CUNY. She is interested in studying adolescent and child psychology, with a focus on parenting and culture.
Rachel Ryan (Research Assistant)
Rachel is a first-year doctoral student in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies. Rachel is interested in maternal and child nutrition and hopes to study ways in which technology can be utilized to facilitate behavior change.
Faith Fasakin (Research Assistant)
Faith is a pre-health student at NYU receiving a BS in Applied Psychology with a minor in Chemistry. She hopes to pursue Psychiatry, and is interested in studying access to mental healthcare and culturally-specific healing practices in marginalized groups.
Alain Goulbourne (Research Assistant)
Sonia Agarwal (Research Assistant)
Sonia is a graduating Senior in the Applied Psychology department at NYU Steinhardt. She is most interested in studying the experiences of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Harmony Hemmings-Pallay (Research Assistant)
Harmony is a graduating Senior in Applied Psychology at NYU Steinhardt. She hopes to attend graduate school for a combined Masters of Social Work / Juris Doctorate degree.
Julia Santoro (Research Assistant)
Julia Santoro is an undergraduate student at NYU studying applied psychology and global public health, with a minor in sociology. Her research interests include the social determinants of health and Asian-origin transracial adoptees’ psychological adjustment.