Dr. Virginia Kuulei Berndt is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Texas A&M International University in the USA. The core theme among her presented and published research is health and illness. In this area, she examines dimensions of reproductive health as it relates to disasters, the environment, gender, and provider-patient interactions. Virginia’s published and award-winning research includes quantitative, cross-national analyses of the relationship between HIV, gender, and droughts. She has also co-authored several qualitative publications stemming from her experience on a research team charged with evaluating a state-wide contraception intervention (“Delaware Contraceptive Access Now”) using qualitative, in-depth interviews with women and medical providers. Her research has been published in interdisciplinary outlets such as Contraception, Population and Environment, Culture, Health & Sexuality, Health, and Social Indicators Research, as well as sociological journals, including International Sociology, Sociology Compass, and Sociological Viewpoints. She is currently co-authoring a book, Body Art (Arts for Health), under contract with Emerald Publishing. Dr. Berndt has presented this research at national and international conferences, including annual meetings for the American Sociological Association, Eastern Sociological Society, International Sociological Association, and The Northern European Conference on Emergency & Disaster Studies.
