Dr. Free is Project Director of Connect for Success at IWPR, an initiative that expands access to reproductive healthcare supports for community college students. In this role, she leads the expansion of high potential programs by growing partnerships and fostering connections between community colleges, community partners and other stakeholders.

Prior to IWPR, Martinique worked at American University serving as Director of an accelerated public health scholars’ program where she exposed undergraduates to topics such as health equity, advocacy, reproductive justice, epidemiology, and social determinants of health. Dr. Free served on the department’s leadership team where she provided ongoing strategic advisement to the management of the department.

Dr. Free has a plethora of professional and research experiences in Public Health within community-led programming as well as on the local and state levels conducting HIV incidence and surveillance. Dr. Free is passionate about reproductive justice and women’s health in BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) populations, health equity, and understanding cultural relevance as it relates to health promotion and disease prevention.

Dr. Free earned her doctorate in Health Education from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. She received her Master of Public Health with a concentration in Communicable Diseases and Behavioral Health Science from the University of Pittsburgh-Graduate School of Public Health. Additionally, she has a B.S. in Laboratory Animal Science from N.C. A&T State University.