How would you describe your research in 1 or 2 sentences? 
I am researching the politics of public health improvement in Jamaica under British colonial rule between 1913 and 1945. I do so in order to understand the problem of imperial responsibility in the arena of colonial health and to demonstrate its relevance in the social and political development of Jamaica as a nation.

Can you explain that a little further? 
At the broadest level, I am interested in the social politics of contemporary Britain. As a historian, I see a direct link between the imperial policies of nineteenth and early twentieth-century Britain and the difficulties many Britons face today in the form of a society that lacks a cohesive social web, a sense of ‘Britishness’ that is not felt by many of its multi-ethnic members. Instead what is shared by many of these Britons descending from various parts of the former Empire is a sense of anger over what was taken away and never returned, and what was never provided. To what extent this discontent is a legacy of British imperialism is a question I find fascinating. To me, the history of health and welfare on the relatively small island of Jamaica—the history of the imperial neglect of Jamaicans’ health and welfare—is a key part of the story of the decline of the British Empire. Understanding the true meaning of ‘colonial self-sufficiency’ in the lives of Jamaicans is crucial to our understanding of anti-colonial independence movements throughout the British Caribbean, the exodus of people who fled this broken and financially depressed region, the vicious debates over immigration in Britain in the 1960s, and tumultuous race relations in Britain today. 

How did you decide to enter your field, and what brought you to your topic? 
I have always been fascinated by the past, and particularly by stories of human experience in the past. I went the theater route first, realizing eventually that it was dramaturgical work on historical productions that interested me most, and this led me back to graduate school. What brought me to my topic? The sequence will seem non sequitur to anyone but me without further explanation. Here’s the short and intriguing version: Freud, hysteria in WWI soldiers, bodily fluids, wet nurses, ships’ surgeons, colonial medicine in the British Caribbean.

Who is your advisor? 
Alex Owen in the History Department. 
 
What are your interests outside of research? 
I love teaching. Outside of academics, my top interests are spending time with my husband, playing with our two dogs, and volunteering for Chicago Canine Rescue. I also enjoy traveling, reading fiction, watching movies, eating out, long walks and spending time with friends. 

What are your future plans? 
I plan to teach at the university-level and continue my research on British imperialism, the British Caribbean and in the history of medicine.