About

Risa Cromer is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Purdue University, with affiliated faculty positions in Critical Disability Studies, Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies, and American Studies. She received her Ph.D. from The Graduate Center of the City University of New York in 2016 and completed a Bachelors in Gender Studies from Willamette University along with a Graduate Certificate in Women's Studies from the CUNY Graduate Center. Between 2016 and 2019, she collaborated on interdisciplinary teams as a postdoctoral fellow in the Thinking Matters program and the Center for Biomedical Ethics at Stanford University. In 2018, she was a visiting scholar at Cambridge University in the Reproductive Sociology Research Group. She joined Purdue University faculty in Fall 2019. Her research focuses on the anthropology of medicine, science, and technology, with particular interest in reproductive politics, social movements, race, religion, and mental health. She investigates social justice issues within bioethical controversies concerning reproduction, race, and disability. Currently, she is working on an ethnographic book examining the political movements and stakes surrounding frozen human embryos left over from in vitro fertilization in the United States. Her intersectional approach incorporates gender, race, disability, sexuality, and religion in her analysis, mentorship, and teaching. In her applied work, she has contributed to research on mental health services for veterans and remains active in grassroots efforts related to reproductive justice. Her research has been supported by notable foundations and institutions including the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, the Wenner-Gren Foundation, the Brocher Foundation, Stanford University, and the City University of New York.

Research topics

• Sociology
• Social Science
• Psychology
• Computer Science
• Political Science
• Gender studies
• Marketing
• Business
• Medicine
• Public relations
• Anthropology
• Medical education
• Theology
• Genetics
• History
• Social psychology
• Biology
• Library science

Selected publications

• Doctoring <i>Dobbs</i> : Erasure art as anthropological practice

  Anthropology & Humanism · 2026-03-25

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract This essay examines erasure art as an anthropological practice through Doctoring Dobbs , a multimodal project responding to the US Supreme Court's overturning of federal abortion rights in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization . In creative practice, erasure removes material from an existing source to reveal something new. Drawing on autoethnographic notes from the process of “doctoring” Dobbs , I show how erasure art makes core anthropological commitments of reflexivity, accountability, multiplicity, and citation visible on the page. I further argue that erasure art extends anthropological craft by modeling knowledge‐making as connective, able to hold multiple interpretations at once, and collaborative. Situating these claims within feminist scholarship, multimodal anthropology, and reproductive justice advocacy, the essay argues that erasure art reflects anthropological method as well as intervenes in abortion politics by challenging the authority of legal language and bringing reproductive justice visions into view.

  PublisherDOI

• Supporting menstrual health in homeless services: provider-informed strategies for multilevel change

  BMC Health Services Research · 2025-05-30

  articleOpen access

  People experiencing homelessness (PEH) face heightened barriers to menstrual health, including limited access to products, hygiene facilities, and consistent care. Social service providers (SSPs) and healthcare providers (HCPs) are critical in supporting PEH but often work within resource-constrained systems. This study explores SSP and HCP perspectives on the menstrual health needs of PEH in a rural-serving community in the U.S., using the Social-Ecological Model (SEM) to identify multilevel barriers and opportunities for intervention. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 SSPs and HCPs in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify key challenges and recommendations related to menstrual health support for PEH. Our analysis revealed complex challenges providers faced in supporting the menstrual health of PEH, including emotional burden, resource scarcity, and limited organizational guidance. They described how stigma, provider discomfort, and systemic gaps in training and infrastructure hindered effective care. Providers also shared that menstrual health was often deprioritized due to competing health needs and structural barriers such as lack of housing, transportation, and product access. Despite these challenges, providers offered actionable recommendations to improve menstrual health support through education, policy change, and more equitable organizational practices. This study highlights the multi-level barriers providers face when supporting the menstrual health needs of PEH. Our findings show that meaningful change requires coordinated efforts across all levels of the SEM. Actionable strategies include provider training, improved intake processes, expanded access to menstrual products and hygiene resources, and policy reforms to address housing and insurance gaps. These insights can inform training programs, shelter protocols, and advocacy efforts to promote menstrual health equity and provider sustainability.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Menstruating while homeless: navigating access to products, spaces, and services

  BMC Public Health · 2024-03-27 · 9 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: People experiencing homelessness (PEH) in the United States face substantial challenges related to menstruation, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Limited access to period products, heightened stigma, and gynecological challenges contribute to increased hardships for PEH, highlighting the need for improved services and policies to address period equity and overall well-being for this vulnerable population. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with PEH (n = 12) and community healthcare and social service providers (e.g., case managers, shelter directors, community health workers, and nurses, n = 12) in Lafayette, Indiana, a city located between Indianapolis and Chicago in the United States. We used thematic analysis techniques for data analysis. RESULTS: PEH's limited access to products, services, and safe spaces hindered effective menstruation management within restrictive community contexts. Although community healthcare and service providers offered some support, complex interactions with the healthcare system, stigma, and limited access to spaces exacerbated barriers. The COVID-19 pandemic further intensified these difficulties by closing public spaces, worsening economic conditions, and straining service provider resources. CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight critical organizational and policy gaps in the United States for menstruation management resources and services, emphasizing the need for better integration into health and well-being programs for PEH. These insights will advance reproductive and public health research, shedding light on the disparities faced by PEH in managing menstruation in Indiana and contributing to the national discourse on addressing these barriers. Amid the complex landscape of public health, particularly during and after the pandemic, prioritizing menstrual health remains essential for all individuals' overall well-being, including those experiencing homelessness.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Reproductive righteousness of right-wing movements: Global feminist perspectives

  Women s Studies International Forum · 2024-07-01 · 2 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• 2. Embryo Saviorism

  New York University Press eBooks · 2023-10-13

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• “I Like to Know When My Period’s Coming”: How Menstruators Use Technology to Track, Monitor, and Manage Their Menses

  Women s Reproductive Health · 2023-12-23 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author

  Managing menstruation is a global public health issue. Cultural issues such as period poverty, negative stigmas, and technological advancements are often discussed in the menstrual care space. Technologies, such as mobile apps (e.g., Flo, Glow, iPhone Health) and devices (e.g., menstrual cups, intrauterine devices), have changed how menstruators monitor and manage their menses. Little research exists on how these tools could affect university student menstruators. Virtual focus group discussions (n = 32 across five focus groups) were conducted in February 2021. Eligible participants were student-menstruators attending a large Midwestern University. Thematic analysis techniques were used for data analysis, allowing for a constant comparative approach to contextualization and theme identification. Results demonstrated that participants employed various technologies, including mobile apps, birth control methods, and reusable products, to track, predict, and manage their menstrual experiences effectively. These technologies proved instrumental in tracking symptoms, manipulating the timing of menstruation, facilitating communication with healthcare providers, and alleviating menstrual discomfort. Furthermore, participants emphasized the factors influencing their technology choices, such as menstrual cups' economic and environmental advantages. These findings have implications for menstrual health programs, public health initiatives, and period policies, emphasizing the importance of integrating technology-driven solutions for menstrual health management. The study showcases the value of incorporating technology into education and awareness campaigns to empower individuals in managing their menstrual health and facilitating informed decisions about contraception and fertility. Furthermore, the research highlights the need for policymakers to support reusable menstrual technologies and destigmatize menstruation, ultimately contributing to gender equality and overall well-being.

  PublisherDOI

• Deploying fetal death: “Fetal burial” laws and the necropolitics of reproduction in Indiana

  PoLAR Political and Legal Anthropology Review · 2023-05-01 · 10 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract While abortion foes in the United States rhetorically promote “life,” discursive invocations of death are foundational to antiabortion advocacy. Pro‐life strategists have made gains mandating the mourning of aborted fetuses through fetal burial bills, which require abortion providers to cremate or bury fetal tissue from abortion procedures. Fetal burial bills are inextricably tied to biopolitical regimes that make and manage grievable life. Drawing on cultural anthropology, feminist social science, critical race theory, and long‐term research on white evangelicalism, this article examines government documents (e.g., Indiana statutes, court rulings, health reports, legislative activity, and state prosecutions) to provide a discursive critique of Indiana's fetal burial law. Constructions of aborted fetuses as grievable human life and the formations of personhood they promote undergird what anthropologist Leith Mullings called the necropolitics of reproduction—a framework explaining how reproduction is constitutive of political regimes that use systemic violence to determine who (or what) lives and dies. Legal conceptions of fetal personhood that hyper‐value fetal subjects entwine with systemic racism, Christian ideology, and anti‐environmentalism to diminish the Black and Brown bodies and environments on which their futures depend. This case is a bellwether for broader dynamics in anti‐abortion policy and activism in the post‐ Roe era.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• “Sometimes I just forget them”: capturing experiences of women about free menstrual products in a U.S. based public university campus

  BMC Women s Health · 2023 · 12 citations

  • Political Science
  • Sociology
  • Social Science

  BACKGROUND: Studies have proven that lack of access to menstruation products negatively affects school attendance, academic performance, and individual health. Implementing "period policies," or programs offering free menstruation products, are becoming popular in schools, businesses, and communities in high-income countries. U.S.-based Purdue University announced in February 2020 that free pads and tampons would be stocked in all women's and gender-neutral restrooms in campus buildings. This study aimed to capture the experiences of menstruators about free menstrual products and the impact of a university-wide free menstruation management product policy and program. A second purpose was to understand how access to menstrual management products is intertwined with broader socio-cultural experiences of a menstruator. METHODS: As part of a larger study, virtual focus group discussions (n = 32 across 5 focus groups) were conducted in February 2021. Eligible participants were student-menstruators attending Purdue University. We used thematic analysis techniques for data analysis, allowing for a constant comparative approach to data contextualization and theme identification. RESULTS: Focus group discussions revealed vivid menarche and menstruation experiences, shifting period culture, recollections of shame and stigma, and use of various technologies to manage menstruation. Recommendations for community-based programs offering free products included maintaining stock, making informed product choices, and broadly distributing program information to increase awareness of free product placements. CONCLUSIONS: Findings offer practical recommendations that will contribute to menstruation management and period poverty solutions for university communities.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• “Sometimes I just forget them”: Capturing Experiences of Women about Free Menstrual Products in a U.S. Based Public University Campus

  Research Square · 2022-09-06 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Abstract Background Studies have proven that lack of access to menstruation products negatively affects school attendance, academic performance, and individual health. Implementation of “period policies,” or programs offering free menstruation products, are becoming popular in schools, businesses, and communities in high income countries. U.S. based [Blinded University] announced in February 2020 that free pads and tampons would be stocked in all women’s and gender-neutral restrooms in campus buildings. The purpose of this study was to capture the experiences of menstruators about free menstrual products and the impact of a university-wide free menstruation management product policy and program. A second purpose was to understand how access to menstrual management products is intertwined with broader socio-cultural experiences of a menstruator. Methods As part of a larger study, virtual focus group discussions (n = 32 across 5 focus groups) were conducted in February 2021. Eligible participants were student-menstruators attending the [Blinded University]. We used thematic analysis techniques for data analysis, allowing for a constant comparative approach to data contextualization and theme identification. Results Focus group discussions revealed vivid menarche and menstruation experiences, shifting period culture, recollections of shame and stigma, and use of various technologies to manage menstruation. Recommendations for community-based programs offering free products included maintaining stock, making informed choices about products, and broadly distributing program information to increase awareness of free product placements. Conclusions Findings offer practical recommendations that will contribute to menstruation management and period poverty solutions for university communities.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Chapter 8. Waiting: The Redemption of Frozen Embryos through Embryo Adoption and Stem Cell Research in the United States

  Berghahn Books · 2022-10-29

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Steven K. Dobscha

  Oregon Health & Science University

  22 shared

• Lauren M. Denneson

  18 shared

• Holly B. Williams

  11 shared

• Susan Woods

  10 shared

• Maura Pisciotta

  Ochin

  10 shared

• Karl Lorenz

  Center for Innovation

  7 shared

• Audrey Ruple

  Virginia–Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine

  6 shared

• Karleen F. Giannitrapani

  VA Palo Alto Health Care System

  6 shared

Awards & honors

• Woodrow Wilson Foundation
• Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research
• Brocher Foundation