CGWH Director

Marilyn (Lynn) S. Sommers, PhD, RN, FAAN

Marilyn (Lynn) S. Sommers is the Lillian S. Brunner Professor of Medical Surgical Nursing. She was named the Director of the Center for Global Women's Health (CGWH) on July 1, 2011. Dr. Sommers studies injury related to sexual assault and risk-taking behaviors in vulnerable populations at risk for health outcomes disparities. Her populations of interest (women, older adolescents, young adults) often live in poverty, have healthcare access inequities, and bear a larger burden of injury and violence than other populations. Her long-term goals are to reduce the burden of injury and develop and test interventions that are effective in preventing injury. 

Philosophy of Health Equity for Women and Girls

A philosophy of health equity incorporates social justice and the social determinants of health. The tenets of social justice hold that every individual and group in the world is entitled to equal rights so that each has fair treatment and an impartial share of the benefits of society. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the social determinants of health as those conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. He WHO also postits that the social determinants of health are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources (including health care) at local, national, and global levels. Unequal distribution is mostly responsible for health inequities, defined as the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries. Health equity ensures equal treatment for diverse individuals and groups:  people living in poverty or who are incarcerated; groups who are disenfranchised because of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual preference; people who need to migrate to obtain employment; and people living in locations that make them vulnerable, such as inner-city or rural living.

Health equity is directly related to injury after sexual assault. The assaulted woman's narrative is the most critical part of the history and physical examination after sexual assault, but physical injury plays an important role in forensic evidence collection, which also includes DNA and other biological evidence and toxicology samples. While major developments in the empirical basis of DNA and toxicology samples have occurred in the past 20 years, the development of empirically-based science in the context of sexual assault has not occurred with respect to injuries, whether they are ano-genital or located in other anatomical regions. Dr. Sommers' work will fill these critical gaps to ensure health equity for sexual assault victims. In particular, she may discover why women with dark skin have lower injury prevalence after sexual assault than women with light skin.

Forensic evidence based on improved measurement techniques could be used to corroborate other physical evidence and the victim’s testimony, to influence more objective decision making in the criminal justice system, and ultimately to contribute to enhancing the quality of justice for sexual assault victims of all skin color, regardless of their race/ethnicity. Because no concentrated work in the area of sexual assault of Black, White, and Latina victims with consideration of skin color has been completed except for this project, the program of research is a critical step to ensure health equity for diverse populations of women in the U.S., Mexico, Puerto Rico, and globally.
 
Curriculum Vitae
NIH Biosketch


Currently Funded Grants

Title: Injury from Sexual Assault: Addressing Health Disparity (Sommers: Principal Investigator)
Agency: National Institute of Nursing Research and National Institute of Mental Health, $2,253,661, 2R01NR05352
Project Period: June 1, 2007 to March 31, 2012
ABSTRACT

Title: Injury in Latina Women after Sexual Assault: Moving Toward Health Care Equity (Sommers: Co-Principal Investigator with Yadira Reguiera, University of Puerto Rico)
Agency: National Institute of Nursing Research, $3,554,021, 1R01NR011589
Project Period: September 30, 2009 to June 30, 2014
ABSTRACT

Title: Research on Vulnerable Women, Children, and Families (Sommers: Principal Investigator)
Agency: National Institute of Nursing Research, $2,624,190, T32NR007100
Project Period: July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2014
ABSTRACT

Title: An RCT of Brief Intervention for Problem Drinking and Partner Violence (Rhodes: Principal Investigator)
Agency: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, $2,610,00, 1R01AA018705
Project Period: September 1, 2009 to My 31, 2015
ABSTRACT

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