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Cheri Pies (Cheramy Anne Pies; November 26, 1949 – July 4, 2023) was an American academic known for her work on parenthood and lesbians. She was a professor emerita of public health at the University of California, Berkeley.

Early life and education

Pies as born in Los Angeles and grew up in the San Fernando Valley of California. She graduated from Birmingham High School, and then received her bachelor's degree from Berkeley in 1971. In 1976 she obtained a master's degree in social work from Boston University. She later received a second master's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and went on to earn a Ph.D. from the same institution in 1993.

Career

Pies was known for her work on lesbian parenthood and for inequalities in access to health care. In the 1970s Pies worked with Planned Parenthood and was giving workshops for people considering parenting. Starting in the 1980s she led workshops and programs for lesbians considering parenting. She coordinated projects centered on lesbians who had been artificially inseminated, and coordinated research examining the relevance of HIV/AIDS in lesbian mothers. She later examined the impact of cash incentives when decisions about reproduction are being considered. She collaborated with Michael Lu at Berkeley to study health conditions in financially-challenged neighborhoods.

In 1985, she published Considering Parenthood: A Workbook for Lesbians, one the first ever parenting books for lesbians published in the United States.

Pies died of cancer in 2023.

Selected publications

• Pies, Cheri (1985-01-01). Considering Parenthood: A Workbook for Lesbians (First ed.). Spinsters Ink.
• Pies, Cheri (1989). "Insemination: Something More to Consider". In Rieder, Ines; Ruppelt, Patricia (eds.). Matters of life and death : women speak about AIDS. Internet Archive. London : Virago. pp. 121–124. ISBN 978-1-85381-103-6.
• Wang, Caroline C.; Pies, Cheri A. (2004). "Family, Maternal, and Child Health Through Photovoice". Maternal and Child Health Journal. 8 (2): 95–102. doi:10.1023/B:MACI.0000025732.32293.4f. hdl:2027.42/45326. ISSN 1092-7875.
• Pies, Cheri; Kotelchuck, Milton (2014). "Bringing the MCH Life Course Perspective to Life". Maternal and Child Health Journal. 18 (2): 335–338. doi:10.1007/s10995-013-1408-5. ISSN 1092-7875.
• Best Babies Zone Initiative Team; Pies, Cheri; Barr, Monica; Strouse, Carly; Kotelchuck, Milton (2016). "Growing a Best Babies Zone: Lessons Learned from the Pilot Phase of a Multi-Sector, Place-Based Initiative to Reduce Infant Mortality". Maternal and Child Health Journal. 20 (5): 968–973. doi:10.1007/s10995-016-1969-1. ISSN 1092-7875.

Honors and awards

In 2018 a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recognized Pies with the Maternal and Child Health Bureau Director’s Award for her work in improving access to public health.

References

1. ^ Williams, Alex (2023-07-23). "Cheri Pies, Who Guided Lesbian Couples in Parenthood, Dies at 73". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
2. ^ Kaplan, Sheila (2023-07-13). "Cheri A. Pies, public health leader who wrote pioneering book on lesbian parenting, dies at 73". Berkeley Public Health. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
3. "ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION AND AIDS LINK TESTED". The New York Times. 1985-08-21. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
4. Hamilton, Mildred (1985-12-10). "AIDS-related study for lesbian mothers". The San Francisco Examiner. pp. , . Retrieved 2024-05-11.
5. Hepburn, Cuca; Gutierrez, Bonnie (1988). Alive & well. Internet Archive. Freedom, Calif. : Crossing Press. pp. 68, 152. ISBN 978-0-89594-324-8.
6. Stryker, Jeff (2000-07-23). "Ideas & Trends; Under the Influence of Gifts, Coupons and Cash". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
7. "In Memoriam: Cheri A. Pies, 1949-2023". Women In Academia Report. 2023-09-01. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
8. Review of Considering Parenthood
   • Koren, Sheila (1985-10-13). "Whether and how to become parents". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 343. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
9. Dodds, Io (2023-07-24). "Author of 'pioneering' lesbian parenting handbook dies of cancer at 73". The Independent. Retrieved 2024-05-11.

External links

• Cheri Pies Papers Online archive of California

• 1949 births
• 2023 deaths
• University of California, Berkeley alumni
• University of California, Berkeley faculty
• Boston University alumni