Infertility affects an estimated 12% of women in the United States. Black women experience infertility at higher rates and tend to wait longer to seek treatment. Black women are a population whose experiences are often missing from the literature and research examining family building and infertility in the United States. Jamel Hicks' research aims to highlight the gender, racial/ethnic, cultural and emotional experiences of Black women as they negotiate familial aspirations and challenges, and the lived experiences of middle/upper-income Black women facing fertility challenges.

Hicks is in her third and final year as a master's student in UD’s Department of Human Development and Family Sciences. She holds a BFA in dance with a minor in African American Studies and a nonprofit management master's, both from George Mason University. She is a former dancer and teacher and a current nonprofit professional who is an emerging blogger and advocate for Black reproductive health.

Her research interests include family and community and Black family and community, specifically, mothering and reproductive health.