LJ Sislen

LJ (they/she) graduated in the Fall of 2021 with their MA in Public Anthropology and Health Inequity and Care Certification (HIC). Their research examines how power dynamics, social determinants of health, policy, and ideology impact drug use, treatment, and recovery narratives, thus impacting forms of and access to care, health, and well-being. Emphasis on community responses and individuals’ lived experiences is core to their projects. During undergraduate at American University, LJ examined the experiences and history of people who use drugs in America, including an ethnographic approach to understanding the roles of social narratives and embodiment of recovery from harmful drug use in sober living homes. In 2019, LJ was also involved in the organization and programming of a large annual community health conference; their responsibilities included speaker selection and the development of novel workshop formats and topics. They are currently a harm reduction volunteer, chaotic supporter of #DecrimPovertyDC, and admirer of tea, herbs, and plants. In addition to their work as a graduate fellow, LJ served as a project fellow in both the 2019-2021 and 2021-2022 cohort.

2019-2021 Project Title: "Meeting People Where They’re at: Harm reduction as praxis, philosophy, and movement"

2021-2022 Project Title: "Decriminalizing Drugs, Decriminalizing People: Stories to End the Drug War"