PREVIOUS PROJECTS

HOMELESSNESS TEAM

The Homelessness team sought to understand the impact of homelessness on health and wellbeing, including the ways in which homeless episodes may expose individuals to sexual and gender-based violence. The team also studied at the impact homelessness has on access to prenatal care and the health of pregnant and parenting people.

 

HEALTHCARE ACCESS, IDENTIFICATION, AND CARE TEAM

This team aimed to understand whether and how healthcare providers can identify trafficking victims in the healthcare setting. This team consisted of two studies:

  1. A scoping literature review to investigate methods being used to screen patients for human trafficking when they interact with the healthcare system.

  2. Structured interviews with trafficking survivors from the EMPOWER Clinic to learn their interactions with the healthcare system while trafficked

TET TEAM

Under the Clinical and Translational Science Institute Grant, the Telomeres, Epigenetics, and Trauma team sought to identify unique molecular markers of accelerated biological aging and resilience in sexual trauma survivors. These epigenetic markers elucidated the potential mechanisms through which trauma exposure can alter genetic expression and in turn drive differential somatic and psychological responses such as in advanced aging, PTSD, and telomere shortening.

BOOK TEAM

This team edited the book Sexual and Gender-Based Violence: A Complete Clinical Guide, published by Springer in 2020. Designed to assist medical professionals in supporting survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in the clinical setting, this book features 13 chapters written by professionals from a variety of disciplines, including medicine, social work, and law. These chapters provide a foundational understanding of trauma-informed care, information about context-specific traumas, clinical guidelines for working with survivors, and an overview of medicolegal issues.

 
 

PSOT TEAM

The Program for Survivors of Torture (PSOT) at Bellevue gives care to a diverse group of people who have been the victims of torture. The PSOT team conducts retrospective chart review and has conducted interviews with a cohort of patients being treated at Bellevue. Currently, we are using this data to identify and describe the perspectives of survivors of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). 

 
 

IPV TEAM

The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of intimate partner violence among Latina women presenting for services at a hospital in New York City and to investigate the reasons why women might not report instances of domestic violence. The study uses audio-computer assisted self-interview (ACASI).

 
 

CPP TEAM

The Chronic Pelvic Pain (CPP) team performed a scoping review of the literature on clinical trials of pharmaceutical , physical therapy, and surgical treatments for chronic pelvic pain and related pain conditions to see if these studies assess for trauma in their participants.