A. Emiko Blalock is an assistant professor in the tenure system in the College of Human Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine, and an affiliate faculty member in the College of Education at Michigan State University. Emiko earned her PhD in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education in 2019 from Michigan State University. 

As a social scientist and education researcher, Emiko draws on organizational and sociological lenses to underpin her inquiries. She uses narrative methodologies that are critical and place-based to elevate the individual and communal experience. Prior to entering academia, Emiko worked in a variety of sectors including public schools, corporate settings, and the nonprofit sector. These experiences drive her interest in exploring questions about women and work and the pathways women traverse over the course of their careers. A primary focus of her research program has been the value of relationships for women in medicine, and the importance of place and community in sustaining long careers in often contentious professional environments. 

In work and life, Emiko values connectedness among people, communities, and lands, and is witness to the ways institutions of working and learning undervalue these connections and may even make efforts to suppress them in pursuit of prestige and professionalism. Her work on women in medicine illuminates these connections are not only legitimate sources of career longevity, but necessary for the health and well-being of individuals and communities.