Contact Information
3059 Lincoln Hall
Urbana, IL 61801
Biography
Virginia Leach is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include intersectionality, disparities in breast cancer, and medical sociology. Her work serves to highlight the injustices in breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship of Black women. She is a member of four academic societies and organizations that strive for academic excellence and community partnership. Virginia mentors students across high school, undergraduate, and graduate studies for continued academic and professional success.
She is also the Manager of Research & Writing for the Tigerlily Foundation (TLF). In conjunction with team members of the Diversity & Inclusion team, Clinical Trials program, and Metastatic Young, Living in Focus, Empowered (MyLife) Magazine, Virginia specializes in writing academically informed papers for the public. She is responsible for producing written content for the Tigerlily Foundation rooted in scientific literature and patient-centered narrative. Virginia is a powerful force at TLF and uses her strategic planning mindset to accomplish projects. She develops opportunities for patient experts to share their breast cancer experiences with those inside and outside the organization. In addition, Virginia is responsible for developing and implementing several educational content-based projects, ensuring that the deliverables exceed quality and timeline expectations. Ms. Leach has six years of experience in education, managing project portfolios from proposal and budget development through completion.
Her research bridges public health, design strategy, and qualitative inquiry to explore how systems can better serve marginalized communities. I specialize in experience-driven research, translating insights into programs, campaigns, and innovations that center equity and impact.
Research Interests
Qualitative Methods, Anti-racism strategies, Medical Sociology, Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Breast Cancer
Research Description
My research is focused on the sociological and public health study of Black women breast cancer survivors, under the age of 50, within in the United States. I am particularly interested in studying how Black women navigate the U.S. healthcare system as breast cancer patients and the world at-large as breast cancer survivors. I am also interested in the study of the transitions into and out of patient status as it pertains to healthcare access. Currently, I am working on my dissertation that examines how Black women breast cancer survivors navigate the cancer continuum of care from diagnosis to treatment and survivorship. In my dissertation, I analyze their trajectories from a Black Feminist Thought lens to better understand the unique patient status is attributed and acted upon by Black women. My dissertation asks what the perspectives and intersectional experiences of Black women with breast cancer survivors and the cancer care continuum are more broadly. In this project, I employ qualitative and survey methodologies to understand the experiences of the participants.
Education
2020, B.A., Sociology, Drew University, Madison, NJ, USA
2023, M.A., Sociology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
Courses Taught
Fall 2023 Teacher’s Assistant for Introduction to Sociology (SOC 100) at UIUC
Spring 2023 TA for Introduction to Sociology (SOC 100) at UIUC
Fall 2022 TA for Introduction to Sociology (SOC 100) at UIUC
Spring 2022 TA for Social Problems (SOC 163) at UIUC
Fall 2021 TA for Technology and Society (SOC 350) at UIUC
Summer 2021 TA for Introduction to Sociology (SOC 100) at UIUC
Spring 2021 TA for Senior Capstone and Honors Seminar (SOC 450) at UIUC
Fall 2020 TA for Sociology Introduction to Poverty (SOC 161) at UIUC
Fall 2019 TA for Introduction to Sociology at Drew University
Fall 2019 TA for Sociology of Race & Ethnicity at Drew University
Additional Campus Affiliations
Aspire Fellow (Graduate College)
Community of Scholars Fellow (Graduate College)