WGST welcomed three new affiliate faculty members this Spring: Dr. Marta Bornstein (HPEB), Dr. Ashley Hamm (HPEB), and Dr. Garrett Pierman (Walker Institute).
Marta Bornstein
Dr. Marta Bornstein is a mixed methods researcher focused on sexual and reproductive health (SRH), including fertility, infertility, contraceptive use, and abortion. She is keenly interested in how fertility and infertility are social constructed and experienced. In all of her research, Dr. Bornstein incorporates a reproductive justice framework to understand how individual experiences and health outcomes related to SRH are shaped by structural and social inequalities. Currently, Dr. Bornstein has three primary lines of research focused on understanding 1) infertility and perceived (in)fertility within different populations, 2) reproductive decision making among LGBTQ+ individuals, and 3) abortion patient and provider experiences.
Garrett Pierman
Dr. Garrett Pierman is a Political Theorist whose research focuses mainly on the creation and use of power in the digital age, especially the relationship between corporations, nation states, and ordinary folks as those relationships dictate and influence political space and behavior. His first book on the subject of digital power, Unrealized Digital Democracy, released in 2023 through Lexington Books. His work has also appeared in the Journal of Strategic Security, Class, Race, and Corporate Power, as well as the Marx and Philosophy Review of Books. Pierman has taught courses in all subfields of political science, at institutions ranging from Florida International University and the University of Miami to Olympic College and Nova Southeastern University. At those institutions, he has also taught courses in philosophy of technology, international relations, and interdisciplinary Honors courses. He currently teaches at the Walker Institute as an Instructor of Cyber Policy and Ethics.
Ashley Hamm
Dr. Hamm's research examines how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and social determinants of health influence preventive health behaviors and long-term outcomes across the life course, with a focus on women’s health. Through quantitative analysis of population-level data, she explores how early-life trauma and structural factors shape engagement in preventive care and contribute to health disparities. She is particularly interested in trauma-informed approaches to public health and how interdisciplinary perspectives can inform more equitable health systems. Her work reflects a broader commitment to understanding how gender and social context shape health, access to care, and overall well-being.