Public Health, Gender, & Sexuality

India has a long and complex history of interventions in reproductive health. Globalization, neoliberalism, and rapid societal changes are changing how India’s public health institutions approach the reproductive health of sexual minorities. This program offers an opportunity to understand how women and sexual minorities are alternately mainstreamed and marginalized in reproductive and sexual health settings. You will have access to SIT’s longstanding network of institutions and public health officials engaged in national and international decision-making, policy development, and healthcare delivery. During visits with health strategists, experts, and activists, you’ll learn how reproductive epidemiology informs disease management among women and sexual minorities in rural and urban contexts. In rural communities, you will conduct fieldwork and engage with community-based organizations and advocacy groups for a deeper dive into grassroots approaches to healthcare access. Through classroom teaching and immersive field study, you will develop insights into innovations for inclusive and accessible reproductive and sexual health care in one of the most populated democracies in the world.