ADDRESS:
School of Nursing
University at Buffalo
201D Wende Hall
Buffalo, NY 14214-8013
PHONE: 716-829-6023
EMAIL: agbemenu@buffalo.edu
The development of culturally-targeted reproductive health education is urgently needed. Health care professionals also need to understand that refugee women are likely to have histories of trauma and, therefore, need care delivered from a trauma-informed perspective.
Kafuli Agbemenu is an alumna who earned her BS from UB School of Nursing. She went on to earn an MPH with a focus on behavioral and community health science and global health, as well as her MS and PhD in Nursing from the University of Pittsburgh.
Her research focuses on examining the reproductive health outcomes of African immigrant and refugee women. Specifically, she conducts research on culturally-congruent family planning education, contraceptive decision making and uptake, pregnancy outcomes, HIV stigma reduction, and access to reproductive health care services for African immigrant and refugee women.
She also has published studies that found cultural differences between clinicians and Somali Bantu women affect the uptake of family planning in the population.
In 2019, Agbemenu was named one of the first recipients of the Changemakers in Family Planning grant awards from the Society of Family Planning. This grant also includes membership in the Society of Family Planning.
Agbemenu advocates for cultural competency in health care, urging providers to be more cognizant of cultural traditions, values and beliefs when providing care.
Huslage, M., Ely, G. E., Nugent, W. R., Auerbach, S., & Agbemenu, K. (2023). Reproductive autonomy in Appalachia: An investigation into perceived contraceptive pressure. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(9-10), 6985-7011. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221140035
Daniel, A. L., Auerbach, S., Nazarenko, D., Agbemenu, K., & Lorenz, R. (2023). An integrative review of the relationship between intrauterine devices and bacterial vaginosis. Nursing for Women's Health, 27(2), 141–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nwh.2023.01.007
Alspaugh, A., Swan, L. E. T., Auerbach, S. L., Bartmess, M., Agbemenu, K., & Ely, G. E. (2023). Mistreatment in health care among women in Appalachia. Culture, Health & Sexuality. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2023.2176547
Aidoo-Frimpong, G., Collins, R. L., Agbemenu, K., Orom, H., Morse, G. D., & Nelson, L. E. (2022). Barriers to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake and ways to mitigate them: Perspectives of Ghanaian immigrants in the United States. AIDS Education and Prevention, 34(3), 209–225. https://doi.org/10.1521/aeap.2022.34.3.209
Agbemenu, K., Aidoo-Frimpong, G., Auerbach, S., & Jafri, A. (2022). HIV attitudes and beliefs in U.S.-based African refugee women. Ethnicity & Health, 27(3), 499-508. doi:10.1080/13557858.2020
Agbemenu., K., Banke-Thomas, A., Ely, G., & Johnson-Agbakwu, C. (2021). Avoiding obstetrical interventions among US-based Somali migrant women: A qualitative study. Ethnicity & Health, 26(7), 1082-1097. doi:10.1080/13557858.2019.1613519
Agbemenu, K., Mencia, J. J., de Rosa, C., Aidoo-Frimpong, G., & Ely, G. (2022). Family planning research in African immigrant and refugee women: A scoping review. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 33(3), 416-426. doi:10.1177/10436596211072891
Aidoo-Frimpong, G., Orom, H., Agbemenu, K., Collins, R. L., Morse, G. D., & Nelson, L. E. (2022). Exploring awareness, perceptions, and willingness to use HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis: A qualitative study of Ghanaian immigrants in the United States. AIDS Patient Care STDS, 36(1), 8-16. doi:10.1089/apc.2021.0156
Agbemenu, K., Aidoo-Frimpong, G., Auerbach, S., & Jaffri, A. (2020). HIV attitudes and beliefs in U.S.-based African refugee women. Ethnicity and Health. Advance online publication. http://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2020.1740175
Agbemenu, K., Auerbach, S., Ely, G., Aduloji-Ajijola, N., & Wang, H. H. (2020). Family planning trends among community-dwelling African refugee women. Public Health Nursing. Advance online publication. http://doi.org/10.1111/phn.12725
Agbemenu, K., Banke-Thomas, A., Ely, G., & Johnson-Agbakwu, C. (2019). Avoiding obstetrical interventions among US-based Somali migrant women: A qualitative study. Ethnicity and Health, 1-16. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2019.1613519
Agbemenu, K., Auerbach, S., Murshid, N. S., Shelton J., & Amutah-Onukagha, N. J. (2019). Reproductive health outcomes in African refugee women: A comparative study. Journal of Women’s Health, 28(6), 785-793. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2018.7314
Banke-Thomas, A., Agbemenu, K., & Johnson-Agbakwu, C. (2019). Factors associated with access to maternal and reproductive health care among Somali refugee women resettled in Ohio, United States: A cross-sectional survey. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 21(5), 946-953. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0824-4
Swan, L. E. T., Auerbach, S. L., Ely G. E., Agbemenu, K., Mencia J., & Araf N. R. (2020). Family planning practices in Appalachia: Focus group perspectives on service needs in the Context of Regional Substance Abuse. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(4), 1198. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17041198
Agbemenu, K., Auerbach, S., Murshid, N., Amutah-Onukagha, N., & Shelton, J. (2019). Reproductive health outcomes in African refugee women: A comparative study. Journal of Women’s Health. Advance online publication. http://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2018.7314
Agbemenu, K., Auerbach, S., & Shelton, J. (2019). Reproductive health characteristics of African refugee women: Introduction to an at-risk population in Western New York. Association of Black Nursing Faculty Newsletter, 13(1), 4-6.
Agbemenu, K., Banke-Thomas, A., Ely, G., & Johnson-Agbakwu, C. (2019). Avoiding obstetrical interventionsamong US-based Somali migrant women: A qualitative study. Ethnicity & Health. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2019.1613519
Banke-Thomas, A. O., Agbemenu, K., & Agbakwu-Johnson, C. (2018). Factors associated with access to maternal and reproductive health care among Somali refugee women resettled in Ohio, United States: A cross-sectional survey. Journal of Immigrant Minority Health. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0824-4
Ely, G. E., Hales, T. W., Jackson, D. L., Kotting, J., & Agbemenu, K. (2018). Access to choice: Examining differences between adolescent and adult abortion fund patients. Journal of Health and Social Care in the Community, 26(5), 695-704. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12582
Agbemenu, K., Volpe, E. M., & Dyer, E. (2017). Reproductive health decision making among U.S. dwelling Somali Bantu refugee women: A qualitative study. Journal of Clinical Nursing. Advance online publication. doi:10.1111/jocn.14162
Covington-Ward, Y., Agbemenu, K., & Matambanadzo, A. (2017). "We feel like it was better back home": Stress, coping and health in a U.S. dwelling African immigrant community. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. (In Press).
Agbemenu, K. (2016). Acculturation and health behaviors of African immigrants living in the United States: An integrative review. ABNF Journal, 27(3), 67-73.
Agbemenu, K., Devido, J., Hannan, M., & Doswell, W. (2016). Exploring the experience of African immigrant mothers providing reproductive health education to their daughters aged 10 to 14 years. Journal of Transcultural Nursing. doi:10.1177/1043659616681848
Agbemenu, K., Terry, M. A., Hannan, M., Kitutu, J., & Doswell, W. (2015). Attitudes and beliefs of African immigrant mothers living in the US towards providing comprehensive sex education to daughters aged 12–17 years: A pilot study. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 1-7. doi:10.1007/s10903-015-0292-z
Yang, K., Woomer, G. R., Agbemenu, K., & Williams, L. (2014). Relate better and judge less: Poverty simulation promoting culturally competent care in community health nursing. Nursing Education in Practice, 14(6), 680-685. doi:10.1016/j.nepr.2014.09.001. [Epub ahead of print].
Agbemenu, K., & Schlenk, E. A. (2011). An integrative review of comprehensive sex education for Adolescent Girls in Kenya. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 43, 54–63.
Term: 2019
Funding source: Patricia H. Garman Behavioral Health Nursing Endowment Fund
Term: 2019
Funding source: Society of Family Planning (through UB School of Social Work)
Term: 2017-2019
Funding source: Association of Black Nursing Faculty
Term: 2018
Funding source: Gregory J. Dimitriadis Research Mentoring Fellowship
Term: 2017
Funding source: The Appalachia Grant Society for Family Planning