Box 1916

Maxcy Hall

112 George Street

Providence, RI 02912

Telephone: (401) 863-2367

Sociology@brown.edu

 

Ph.D. in Sociology, Brown University 2008

Contact Information:
Brown University
Department of Sociology
Box 1916
Providence, RI 02912

Blessing_Mberu@brown.edu

Year of Entry: 2002

Previous Degrees:
M.A. in Sociology, Brown University 2004
M.Sc. in Sociology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria 1990

Curriculum Vitae

Areas of Interest:
Migration, Urbanization, Adolescent Reproductive Behavior, and Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa

Current Research Interest and PhD Dissertation Project:
My current research interests focus on migration, urbanization, poverty and adolescent reproductive behavior in sub-Saharan Africa. My doctoral dissertation project examines the linkages between internal migration and adolescent premarital reproductive behavior in Nigeria. The study builds on the theoretical and empirical linkages between geographical mobility and risky reproductive behavior; the high rates of migration in Nigeria, particularly of young people, in the context of increasing poverty; and the changing context and implications of adolescent reproductive behavior for health and disease transmission (particularly in the era of HIV/AIDS pandemic). With an annual growth rate of 2.83% and a 2007 population of 140 million (63% of whom are under the age of 25 years), and an increasing HIV/AIDS burden that is heaviest among adolescents, the challenge of teen sexual behavior and its consequences for morbidity and mortality have become a topical public health issue in the country.