Mary Ann Bolton Undergraduate Research Award

Award Winner

Recipient of the 2025 Mary Ann Bolton Undergraduate Research Award - First Place.

To go to the Mary Ann Bolton Undergraduate Research Award page, Click here.

Year of Award

2025 Award

Document Type

Open Access Paper

Abstract

Black women in Iowa face striking disparities in many health outcomes, particularly breast cancer, rooted in systemic inequalities that limit healthcare access, quality care, early detection, and culturally competent care. While cancer rates in Iowa are highest among the White population, data reveal that Black Iowans experience a disproportionately higher cancer burden. This paper investigates the specific challenges these women face in navigating breast cancer in Iowa through a mixed-methods approach that combines public health data with qualitative insights from community advocates. Overall analysis is grounded in three core observations: (1) barriers to equitable healthcare access, particularly in urban and underserved communities; (2) the deep-rooted mistrust in medical system, shaped by historical and ongoing racial injustices; and (3) the struggles community organizers face in advocating for equitable care amid structural limitations. By focusing on Black women and topic experts, this research illustrated how social determinants of health, such as poverty, redlining, employment precarity, and underinsurance, compound with biological and institutional risks associated with breast cancer. Ultimately, this work argues for systemic responses that prioritize policy change and local investment to address persistent racial health inequalities in the state of Iowa.

Publication Date

5-2025

Award Sponsored by

Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa

Faculty Advisor

Carissa Froyum

Department

Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Embargo Period

8-15-2025

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