2020 SARS-CoV-2 Awardee, Johns Hopkins
Dr. Shannon N. Wood is an Assistant Scientist within the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she also obtained her PhD. She further holds a Masters of Science in Reproductive and Sexual Health Research from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Dr. Wood’s research focuses on the intersection between social determinants of women’s health, most notably gender-based violence, and adverse reproductive and sexual health outcomes. As a Senior Technical Advisor for Performance Monitoring for Action (PMA) and PMA-Ethiopia, Dr. Wood leads research surrounding reproductive coercion, intimate partner violence, and partner dynamics, and works with in-country partners to increase PMA’s data utilization. Her research aims to enhance safety and improve reproductive and sexual health for vulnerable populations in low-resource settings.
Awarded: $50,000
What is Dr. Shannon Wood studying?
Doctor Wood is studying the impact of societal conditions on women’s health, particularly gender-based violence and its impact on reproductive and sexual health.
Why study this condition?
Twenty-seven percent of women globally are affected by physical or sexual intimate partner violence (IPV).
What did Dr. Wood find?
Almost 8% of women studied in three areas in Africa needed contractive education; Doctor Wood found that a critical strategy for women affected by rape or sexual intimate partner violence was the use of covert contraception. She also found that in Ethiopia the COVID-19 pandemic increased the number of women experiencing intimate partner violence by 15%. In Africa, difficulty in obtaining contraception had a particularly significant impact on young people aged 16 to 26 during that same time period.
How did The Foundation for Gender-Specific Medicine’s grant help Dr. Shannon Wood’s research?
In the relatively short time since her award, Doctor Wood has completed important surveys in the consequences of sexual violence on women’s health in many areas of Africa; she also traced the impact on women of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Current Status
Dr. Shannon has had extensive training in the social determinants of women’s health, particularly in the impact of sexual violence on women. She hopes to improve the reproductive and sexual health of women in underprivileged areas of the world. She continues to work in the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.