Aster Parrott, M.A., M.S., B.A.
Cortland Area Community That Cares
Community Engagement Coordinator
Healing Cortland Project
Expertise
Harm reduction services, Substance use disorders, Science and Technology Studies, Science Policy, Stigma
Skills
Community engagement, Curricular design, Mixed methods research, Qualitative data analysis, Survey research
Involvement/Activity
I’m a researcher involved with health equity research or practice, I’m a community-based leader interested in collaboration to improve health equity, I left academia to do direct service harm reduction work and now work at a public health organizing/policy agency.
What I would like to offer as a collaborator…
I’m interested in connecting health equity research with public health practice. I have a unique combination of training and experience that allow me to think and communicate across disciplinary and professional boundaries. My past experience operating Ithaca’s syringe exchange and my current experience doing local-public health coordinating and policy work build on my academic work on the knowledge politics of harm reduction to give me a critical and nuanced perspective on health equity.
I earned an M.A. in Science and Technology Studies from Cornell University in 2019 and M.S. from Drexel University’s Science, Technology, and Society Program in 2016.
What I am looking for from a collaborator…
I’m interested in connecting with researchers who are invested in using research to substantively challenge public health systems, infrastructures, and models that contribute to health disparities. I want partners who do research with–not just on–marginalized/vulnerable people and center their voices and needs throughout the research process.
