Emory Reproductive Health Association Named Graduate Student Organization of the Year
By Shelby Crosier
When asked which events they most look forward to during the academic year, many Rollins students would name the annual Sexual Health Art Show, Sex in the Dark, or Reproductive Health Networking Night. These events all have one thing in common—they are organized by the Emory Reproductive Health Association (ERHA), the winner of Graduate Student Organization of the Year at the 2024 Student Organization Achievement and Recognition Awards.
ERHA is a Rollins student organization committed to promoting reproductive health and rights. Through community outreach, awareness and educational events, volunteer opportunities, and fundraising, they support awareness, research, and action for reproductive health issues. They also collaborate every year with the Global Elimination of Maternal Mortality from Abortion (GEMMA) Fund to host the highly anticipated and attended GEMMA night, where Rollins abortion and reproductive health researchers share their work.
ERHA and its members are committed to inclusivity and uplifting historically marginalized voices in their programming. These values draw huge membership and participation from across Rollins, including Cindy Cheng, a second-year MPH student in the Department of Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences and the 2023 ERHA communications chair.
“When I started my MPH program, I wanted to find a way to give back to the community,” says Cheng. “ERHA aligned with my interests, and it allowed me to connect more with what I’m passionate about. Their values, events, and resources aligned with what I wanted to learn and support which made it easy to decide I wanted to be a part of their executive board.”
The Graduate Student Organization of the Year award is given to a “graduate student organization that exemplifies a commitment to the betterment and strengthening of Emory and/or the greater Atlanta community." ERHA embodies this commitment through its service, leadership development, and collaboration with other groups, both at Rollins and in the wider Emory community.
“The award was like the cherry on top after a long, productive year,” says Cheng. “So much work goes into each event that not many people know about, so being acknowledged for all our hard work really means a lot. Our group spent so much time and effort preparing everything throughout the year, and it would not have been possible without the support of Rollins and each other.”
