Out of about 1000 news headlines that I sifted through for this journal article, the headline below stuck with me. Once upon a time in the not-too-distant past, unwed mothers were not entitled to maternity leave in private and public offices. I'll let that sit here.

Join me on Friday, February 20, 12PM CST, as I discuss the politics of childbirth in Nigeria & its implications for global health interventions, at Creighton University's Community Oriented Primary Care Program #birthpolitics #UBuffalo February 20, 2026 🕛 12:00 PM CT creighton.zoom.us/j/93321067278

Tune in to "Today in Global Health" on Lagos Talks 91.3 FM on Tuesday at 11AM NG, 5AM EST as I discuss the politics of childbirth in Nigeria with the show's cohosts. Listen live (or later) at www.lagostalks.com. #birthpolitics #NigeriaHealthcare #maternalhealth #GlobalHealth #GlobalHealthEquity

Saving this nursingclio.bsky.social "Protests" series here for a new course on medical activism. Such a treasure trove.

My Op-Ed on the invisibility of maternal deaths in Nigeria has been published in Punch NG. Thank you @historians.org #aha2026 for the Op-Ed session that helped me brainstorm placement for this piece. punchng.com/maternal-deaths-a-recurring-crisis-in-nigeria/ #maternalhealth #maternaldeath

Nominations are now open for the @nursingclio.bsky.social Prize for Best Journal Article, an award for the best peer-reviewed academic journal article on the intersection of gender and medical histories in English. Self-nominations are encouraged! 🗃️

One of my favorite things to do at the AHA conference is get the free professional headshot on Saturdays. Thanks @historians.org for hooking me up for the year. Surprising that a lot of folks do not know about this service. This year's photographer, Maisonet Photography, was fantastic. #aha2026

My stash of books from the @historians.org AHA conference. @iupress.bsky.social & @hackettpub.bsky.social saved the day for Africa representation. Top 3 books on my reading list:Gospel of Family Planning, @jacobinoire.bsky.social His.World in Six Plagues, @maryfissell.bsky.social Pushback #aha2026

@universitypress.cambridge.org is offering a grant to help underrepresented early career scholars in History and Area Studies publish. Application deadline is April 13, 2026.

Excellent @historians.org -sponsored session on The Historian as Advocate at this year's AHA meeting in Chicago. My biggest takeaway on efforts to influence policy: remember the four Rs - Relationship; Respect; Relevance; Reciprocity. I hope this session returns next year. #aha2026

#BirthPolitics was featured on This Week in Africa, a weekly newsletter on everyday life in Africa, as one of the "18 books to read from 2025." Glad that this book is out in the world. Interested in scheduling a talk for the next academic year? Please reach out. open.substack.com/pub/thisweek...

You know one of those moments in Braveheart when Mel Gibson yells “Freeeedooom”? That’s exactly how I feel right now. Final grades finally submitted. Now, I’m truly on Winter break! Fingers crossed that I will not receive any nail-biting emails from students about their grades.

The Pitt, Ginny & Georgia, All’s Fair – how did this year’s biggest TV shows tackle abortion? We tracked this year’s hits and misses in our Abortion Onscreen report. www.ansirh.org/research/res...

Link to my National Library of Medicine article. I discuss maternal health advocacy strategies that were deployed in Africa, 80s&90s, & how these may be beneficial to advocacy efforts elsewhere. circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2025/12/04/a... #womenshealth #birthpolitics #nih #maternalhealth #mothercare

Check out my conversation on 'Africa Simplified' regarding women's health & maternal healthcare choices. I emphasize the importance of centering women in discussions of maternal healthcare/policy. Link to full video in the comments. youtube.com/shorts/enUM1... #birthpolitics #maternalhealth #Africa

Check out my new website: drogewilliams.com; YouTube channel @ youtube.com/@profy-ow?si.... Shout out to @parisnoire.bsky.social for pushing me to stop talking about the website and just get it done. Designed by @gumbomedia.bsky.social #birthpolitics #Africa #maternalhealth #reproduction #histmed

Who else receives these eerily identical AI-generated emails from prospective PhD students? If you use AI to draft generic email/material for a potentially competitive application, please realize that it is generating same thing or similar for all of the other prospective applicants like you. #AI

Resharing this fully funded PhD opportunity in Public Admin that was just shared with me. Location is Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Please share with cocoa/agri researchers. Masters degree in related fields required. Deadline is December 14, 2025. www.wur.nl/en/vacancy/p...

Attended this year's NEXTGen Tri-State conference @sunybroome.bsky.social. A few quotes from the professional development session that we can all reflect on: "Motivation got me started; discipline got me through"; "What you repeat; you become." We definitely become whatever we repeat...good and bad!

And here comes the first snow of the season in Buffalo. I thought we had a few more weeks before "touchdown" 😔🤷

The African&African Diaspora Studies Department @fiu.bsky.social held raffle draws for 20 copies of Birth Politics (@hopkinspress.bsky.social) courtesy of Black Mothers Care Plan.Thank you BMCP for making the book available to students and birth workers. #UBuffalo #birthpolitics #histmed #childbirth

It is an honor and a pleasure to give the 18th Annual Chris Gray Memorial Lecture at Florida International University on Thursday, Nov 6th. Please join me in person or online. fiu.zoom.us/webinar/regi... #birthpolitics #histmed #maternalhealth #Africa #Nigeria #UBuffalo #FIU

Never read anything she wrote that I didn't like. Time to check out this edited collection.

I was scheduled to present my work at my foremost disciplinary organization in the US.My co-panelists are based in Europe&just informed me that they will no longer attend the conference because folks in their network have experienced hostility at the US border. Well now, my panel is off the program😔

2026/2027 Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University of Edinburgh. global.ed.ac.uk/mastercard-f... #Africa #healthcare #sustainability #africascholarships

Assembling the backstory of #birthpolitics and listening to the commentary forced me to pause&take in the extent of labour that made this book possible. Thank you to all who showed up online/in person. #UBuffalo #africanhistory #UTAustin #africanculture #histmed #childbirth #maternalhealth #Africa

Happening October 10 in-person/online @ubuffalo.bsky.social @ubuffalohistory.bsky.social @ubartsandsciences.bsky.social. Commenting is @fiu.bsky.social's very own. Zoom QR code on flyer. Buffalo neighbors, see you at Park 532. @hopkinspress.bsky.social @womenknowhistory.bsky.social #birthpolitics

George Hardy, last of the Tuskegee Airmen's World War II combat pilots, dies at 100

See you in Buffalo!

College of Arts and Sciences,University at Buffalo invites applications for two tenure-track Assistant Prof. positions with a research focus in and demonstrated ability to teach courses in disability studies, particularly in relation to gender and/or sexuality. www.ubjobs.buffalo.edu/postings/58847

I had fun at IBBG Repro Justice Summit and the pleasure of showcasing my new book there. My breakout session had non-profit leaders, doulas, midwives, professors, etc and the engagement was so fulfilling. We can always learn from each other&inform changes in public health, together.

Academic colleagues based in African institutions with PhDs on or before December 2020, check out this fellowship opportunity at the Center for African Studies at UC Berkeley. Application deadline,September 5. africa.berkeley.edu/news/center-... Submit CV,2-page research proposal to [email protected]

It is official! My book, Birth Politics, has been released @JHUPress. Hopeful that it makes an impactful contribution to conversations around improving maternal health care in Nigeria. Happy to honor invited talks to discuss the book and my research. #maternalhealth #reproductivehealth #Nigeria

Although the picture is grim for Africa in terms of maternal deaths, the continent, home to 55 countries, is also the site of effective community-focused and centered advocacy models. Let's chat about all that at this year's reproductive justice summit. #IBBGTheSummit #maternalhealth

In the past 27yrs, Nigeria’s healthcare budget has mostly been under 6%, and yet we hope that its healthcare problems will somehow be fixed. No amount of hope and prayers will save a country of 200+million people from the hands of 4-5% national budget for its health sector.

My research this year for my second monograph, Dying to Bring Life: A Social History of Maternal Deaths in Nigeria, took me to the Federal Ministry of Health Nigeria where I learned more about the dangers and complications of maternal health care in Nigeria.

Countdown to August 19, the official release date for my book, Birth Politics, with @hopkinspress.bsky.social. Happy to schedule zoom and in-person talks. If you adopt the book as a required text in your classroom, I definitely owe you a classroom visit. Please let me know.

Countdown to August 19, the official release date for my book, Birth Politics, with Johns Hopkins University Press. Happy to schedule zoom and in-person talks. If you adopt the book as a required text in your classroom, I definitely owe you a classroom visit. Please let me know.

At the 9th Annual Lagos Studies Association (LSA) conference. Always a joyful space to be in.

Full bloom...yay 🪩 My babies finally came out to play. Been interesting watching 'em peonies unravel. They sure take their time.

Where does it end? Omo, I'm exhausted. www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/06/...

Beautiful craftsmanship 😍. I wish one of these amazing sculptures by Nigerian artist Dotun David Popoola would end up in my front yard 🥰

Came across photos of this 1971 book from my 2022 pics.My intrigue then as it is now concerned the book's journey to the Archives in Nigeria where I found it, how its Nigerian recipients would have reacted to the fact that such a book had to exist,& how potent the content remains in today's America.

Today at 4PM EST. Webinar on global partnerships for advancing maternal health in Nigeria. Register and join here: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

UCLA's Department of History seeks to hire a lecturer in the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine, to teach 10-week upper-division historiography and research seminars. recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF10270?fbc...