Jhumka Gupta, ScD, MPH

Jhumka Gupta, ScD, is a social epidemiologist whose research focuses on gender-based violence against women and girls (e.g. intimate partner violence, sex trafficking). Specifically, she investigates the mental and reproductive health implications of gender-based violence, and conducts intervention studies aimed at reducing violence against women. Her primary focus is with vulnerable populations, both within and outside of the United States, and includes refugees, immigrants, and communities impacted by conflict. She has authored or co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications on these topics. In addition to research, Dr. Gupta has served as Assistant Director of a women’s health program in rural Haiti and she has also been involved with several immigrant advocacy organizations. She also serves as Associate Editor of BMC International Health and Human Rights.

Research Interests

Gender-Based Violence Against Women -- Reproductive Health -- Mental Health -- Immigrant and Refugee Health -- Conflict Settings -- Impact Evaluations

Contact
	Jhumka Gupta, ScD, MPH Assistant Professor Department of Global and Community Health George Mason University jgupta4@gmu.edu Twitter: @jhumkagupta Research Gate: http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jhumka_Gupta

Intervention Research to Reduce GBV Against Women

Reduction of Gender-Based Violence in Cote d’Ivoire (2010-2012)

Dr. Gupta led a randomized community intervention in conflict-affected Cote d’Ivoire to investigate the roles of economic programming and gender dialogue groups in reducing gender-based violence against women and improving economic well-being. This work was conducted in partnership with the International Rescue Committee (Co-PI: Jeannie Annan, PhD, Co-Investigator: Kathryn Falb, ScD), and Innovations for Poverty Action and was funded by the World Bank State and Peacebuilding Fund.

Key Publications:

1. Gupta J, Falb KL, Lehmann H, Kpebo D, Xuan Z, Hossain M, Zimmerman C, Watts C, Annan J. Gender norms and economic empowerment to reduce intimate partner violence against women in rural Cote d’Ivoire: A randomized controlled pilot study. BMC International Health and Human Rights. 2013; 13: 46. Available at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-698X/13/46

2. Falb KL, Annan J, King E, Hopkins J, Kpedo D, Gupta J. Gender norms, poverty and armed conflict in Côte D'Ivoire: engaging men in women's social and economic empowerment programming. Health Educ Res. 2014;29(6):1015-27. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/25274720/.

3. Gupta J, Falb K, Carliner H, Kpebo D, Hossain M, Annan J. Associations between exposure to intimate partner violence, armed conflict, and probable PTSD among women in rural Côte d'Ivoire. PLOS One. 2014; 9(5):e96300. Available at: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0096300.

Policy Brief: Economic and Social Empowerment to Reduce Violence Against Women. Available at: http://gbvresponders.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/EAE-Research-Brief-Jan-2014.pdf.

Gender-Based Violence among Urban Internally Displaced People in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire (2013-2014)

Despite widespread concern regarding gender-based violence (GBV) against women in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire as a threat to post-conflict stability and development, systematic data on GBV and humanitarian programmatic efforts to protect and empower women in conflict-affected urban settings are lacking. Through analysis of survey data and qualitative research, the investigative team will advance current understanding of GBV experiences and will assess the feasibility and acceptability of socio-economic programs aimed to prevent GBV and improve economic well-being among urban Ivorian women. Such work will help guide empirically-informed programs to address GBV in urban settings. This project is being conducted in partnership with the International Rescue Committee (Co-PI: Kathryn Falb, ScD) and is funded by the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Policy Brief:

Violence Against Women in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire: An Urban Post-Crisis Environment. Available at: http://gbvresponders.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Abidjan-USIP-Brief-Final-1.12.pdf.

Evaluating Violence Against Women Screening in Mexico (2012-2015)

Dr. Gupta is leading a 3-year randomized controlled trial in Mexico City, Mexico, to investigate the effectiveness of a nurse-delivered intervention on reducing intimate partner violence, increasing help-seeking behaviors and safety planning, and improving reproductive health among women with recent experiences of violence from their male partners. This work is jointly conducted with colleagues at the Population Council of Mexico (Co-PI: Claudia Diaz Olavarrieta, PhD), Co-Investigator: Kathryn Falb, ScD, Innovations for Poverty Action, and the International Planned Parenthood Federation / Western Hemisphere Region. This work is being funded by an anonymous donor.

Key Publication:

Falb KL, Diaz-Olavarrieta C, Campos PA, Valades J, Cardenas R, Carino G, Gupta J. Evaluating a health care provider delivered intervention to reduce intimate partner violence and mitigate associated health risks: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial in Mexico City. BMC Public Health. 2014;14:772. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25079882.

Change Starts at Home: Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls in Women (2015-2018)

Change Starts at Home is the first multi-component project of its kind to be staged in the Middle East, aimed at the prevention of violence against women and girls. The project will produce and broadcast a weekly radio program that will feature influential community leaders and citizen journalists, who will examine the way the use of violence against women and girls is perceived and explore the consequences for women, men and society at large, in an informative and interesting way. This approach, that reaches people in the home, will be supported by a mass-media campaign focused on awareness raising via Public Service Announcements, radio segments and a PR campaign aimed at traditional news services. The project will be led by Equal Access Yemen, in partnership with The National Organization for the Development of Society and Wogood for Human Security, and with research partners from the University of Minnesota (PI: Cari Jo Clark, ScD) and George Mason University (Co-Investigator: Jhumka Gupta, ScD). This study is funded by What Works To Prevent Violence Against Women. More information can be viewed at: http://whatworks.co.za/projects/all-projects/innovation-projects/item/29-change-starts-at-home-preventing-violence-against-women-and-girls-in-yemen.

Opinion Pieces/Media
	1. Gupta J. Endometriosis Is a Social Justice Issue. Huffington Post. October 21, 2014. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jhumka-gupta/endometriosis-is-a-social_b_5986690.html. 2. Gupta J. The Private Wars of Women. Huffington Post. February 11, 2014. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jhumka-gupta/the-private-wars-of-women_1_b_4768653.html.

Selected Publications

GBV Among Immigrants and Refugee Populations

1. Masterson AR, Usta J, Gupta J, Ettinger AS. Assessment of Reproductive Health and Violence Against Women Among Displaced Syrians in Lebanon. BMC Women’s Health; 2014;14(1):25. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3929551/

2. Yun K, Hebrank K, Graber L, Chen I, Sullivan MC, Gupta J. High prevalence of chronic, non-communicable conditions among adult refugees in a clinic-based sample: Implications for policy and practice. Journal of Community Health. 2012;37(5):1110-8. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3857959/

3. Almeida J, Johnson RM, McNamara M, Gupta J. Peer violence perpetration among immigrant youth: Findings from the Boston Youth Health Survey. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 2011; 26(13):2658-80. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3123437/

4. Gupta J, Acevedo-Garcia D, Hemenway D, Raj A, Decker MR, Silverman JG. IPV perpetration and disparities based on immigration and English speaking ability among a community-based sample of men. Public Health Reports. 2010 Jan-Feb;125(1):79-87. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2789819/

5. Gupta J, Acevedo-Garcia D, Hemenway D, Decker MR, Raj A, Silverman JG. Pre-migration political violence exposure associated with intimate partner violence perpetration among a community-based sample of immigrant men. American Journal of Public Health. 2009;99:462-9. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2661447/

6. Rothman EF, Gupta J, Dang Q, Pavlos C. Batterer intervention program enrollment and completion among immigrant men in Massachusetts. Violence Against Women. 2007; 13: 527-543. Available at: http://vaw.sagepub.com/content/13/5/527.short

7. Himmelfarb EH, Gupta J, Santana C, McCleary-Sills J, Silverman JG, Raj A. South Asian victims of intimate partner violence more likely to report negative health outcomes. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. 2006; 8: 251-261. Available at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10903-006-9330-1

Human Trafficking and Public Health

1. Gupta J, Reed E, Kershaw T, Blankenship K. Differences in HIV vulnerability among sex trafficking victims and a general sample of female sex workers in Andhra Pradesh, India. International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2011; 114(2):101-5. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002072921100172X

2. Gupta J, Agrawal A. The chronic aftershocks on child health in Haiti: gender-based violence and child slavery. Canadian Medical Association Journal. 2010; 182: 1997-1999. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3001506/

3. Gupta J, Raj A, Decker MR, Reed E, Silverman JG. HIV-related vulnerability among Indian survivors of sex trafficking. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 2009;107:30-4. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3071755/

4. Dharmadhikari AS, Gupta J, Decker MR, Raj A, Silverman JG. HIV and TB: A global menace exacerbated by sex trafficking. International Journal of Infectious Disease. 2009; 13(5):543-6. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971208017487

5. Silverman JG, Decker MR, Gupta J, Maheshwari A, Willis BM, Raj A. HIV prevalence and predictors among sex trafficked Nepali women and girls. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2007; 298: 536-42. Available at: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=208242

GBV and Reproductive Health

1. Gupta J, Falb KL Kpebo D, Annan J. Abuse from in-laws and associations with attempts to control reproductive decisions among rural women in Cote d’Ivoire: a cross-sectional study. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2012;119(9):1058-66. Available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1471-0528.2012.03401.x/full

2. Small MJ, Gupta J, Frederic R, Joseph G, Theodore M, Kershaw T. Intimate partner and non-partner violence against pregnant women in rural Haiti. International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2008; 102: 226-231. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3901698/

3. Silverman JG, Gupta J, Decker MR, Kapur N, Raj A. Intimate partner violence, unwanted pregnancy and pregnancy termination among a national sample of Bangladeshi Women. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2007; 114: 1246-52. Available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1471-0528.2007.01481.x/full

GBV and Mental Health

1. McCauley H, Falb KL, Streitch-Tilles T, Kpebo D, Gupta J. Mental health impacts of reproductive coercion among women in Cote d'Ivoire. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 2014; 127(1):55-59. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002072921400294X

2. Gupta J, Falb K, Carliner H, Kpebo D, Hossain M, Annan J. Associations between exposure to intimate partner violence, armed conflict, and probable PTSD among women in rural Côte d'Ivoire. PLOS One. 2014; 9(5):e96300. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4019518/