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Navy blue background has diamonds and starbursts. A spotlight icon shines on a circular image of Courtney McMillian. A label reads "In the spotlight." Below the label is the text "Courtney McMillian."

by Abby Arcuri

Everyone on CHER’s team brings unique talents. One new employee, Courtney McMillian, works in health communication and has another unique communication skill: poetry!

McMillian is working on learning about healthcare barriers in communities. In her free time, she writes poetry.

Read our staff spotlight to learn more about McMillian.

Tell us about your role at CHER. What’s your position and focus?

I’m a research coordinator working for the NC CEAL health communications project.

I focus on Black, Latino and Mandarin community access to care barriers, food insecurity barriers and health literacy.

I am also researching sexual and gender minority barriers to healthcare access care and treatment.

I connect with communities by holding focus groups and creating and distributing surveys to learn more about barriers to their health care.

What is the path that brought you to CHER?

I was with CHER as a Graduate Research Assistant and thought this was a positive and conducive environment that I wanted to work at full-time.

What are the goals you have for yourself while being at CHER?

I want to grow both personally and professionally.

What are some challenges you have faced in your field of work?

My biggest challenge so far has been getting enough people to take our health communications survey at community events.

What’s a fun fact about you?

I’m a poet. I mainly write poetry on healing from trauma response and romance.