Ayanna Robinson, PhD, MPH
Ayanna Robinson

Dr. Robinson is the Director of Research and Evaluation at Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Inc. where she leads the strategic direction for the department and leads research and evaluation projects designed to address maternal health inequities. Dr. Robinson is a public health researcher and program evaluator with extensive experience across program evaluation, survey methodology, mixed-methods research methods and data collection, and qualitative and quantitative data analysis. She received a Master of Public Health in Health Education and Promotion from Morehouse School of Medicine and a PhD in Health Promotion and Behavior along with a Graduate Certificate in Interdisciplinary Qualitative Research Studies from the University of Georgia (UGA). At UGA she was awarded the Feldman Health Disparities Award and the Macagnoni Qualitative Research Award for her research exploring breastfeeding among African American women.  Her dissertation research, published in Digital Health and The Journal of Human Lactation, applied Black Feminist Thought to explore the exchange of breastfeeding support among Black mothers in social media communities and breastfeeding outcomes. In her previous work, Dr. Robinson supported programs at the federal level, including serving as the Project Evaluator for the Overdose Response Strategy Pilot Projects at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where she provided technical support for the development of programs and led the evaluation of programs aimed at reducing fatal and non-fatal overdoses. Dr. Robinson has also served as a research consultant on a variety of maternal and child health projects.  In 2016, she founded Black Girls’ Breastfeeding Club, LLC. which provides breastfeeding education and translates research into culturally congruent breastfeeding resources and tools for Black families.