Anita Raj (academic)
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Anita Raj | |
|---|---|
| File:Raj Tata Prof Photo 2018.jpg Anita Raj | |
| Born | December 29, 1970 |
| Citizenship | American |
| Alma mater | Mississippi College (1991) University of Georgia (1995, 1996) |
| Known for | Child Marriage in South Asia |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Child Marriage Intimate Partner Violence Reproductive Health Substance Abuse Sexual Violence Sexual Assault Gender Equity |
| Institutions | University of California, San Diego Center on Gender Equity & Health |
Anita Raj (born December 29, 1970) is an American developmental psychologist and global public health researcher focused on sexual and reproductive health, maternal and child health, and gender inequalities including gender-based violence, discrimination and bias. She is a Tata Chancellor Professor of Society and Health and is a Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Education Studies at the University of California, San Diego. She is also the Founding Director of UCSD's Center on Gender Equity and Health.
Early life and education
Raj was born in Jackson, Mississippi to immigrant parents from India and earned a bachelor's degree in Biology from Mississippi College in 1991, a Master's degree in Psychology in 1995, and a Ph.D. in Psychology in 1996 from the University of Georgia, Athens. She completed her post-doctoral training at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA and as a Senior Researcher at Boston University School of Public Health.
Career
Research
Raj's research interests include development and evaluation of sexual, reproductive and maternal-child behavioral health interventions for socially vulnerable populations; assessment of gendered, social and cultural vulnerabilities for sexual and reproductive health concerns, intimate partner violence, and child marriage; and measurement of structural and systems level gender inequalities in health. This work includes studies in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Russia and the United States.
She is a research scientist trained in developmental psychology. Her research includes epidemiological and qualitative assessment of gendered, social, and cultural vulnerabilities, specializing in reproductive[1], maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health concerns across national settings; assessment of etiology and public health impact of gender inequities including early and child marriage[2], intimate partner violence[3] and sexual assault, and son preference; development and evaluation of HIV[4], unintended pregnancy, and gender-based violence prevention interventions in low resource settings with socially vulnerable populations including minorities, people contending with problem substance use, and youth; and application of social and behavioral theories, including gender theories for measurement development and evaluation research. She is well-known for her child marriage work in South Asia. In 2014 she was an invited panelist, asked to speak on child, early and forced marriage at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, NY.
Media
Raj's work has been covered by popular media including the New York Times, NPR, the New York Post, and USA Today.
- "Pervasive Sexual Harassment Why #MeToo Took Off Poll" - New York Times
- "How Chickens and Goats Are Helping to Stop Child Marriage" - NPR, Goats and Soda
- "A New Survey Finds Eighty-Percent of Women Have Experienced Sexual Harassment" - NPR, The Two Way
- "WHO Finds Violence Against Women in 'Shockingly' Common" - NPR, Shots
- "Nearly All Hollywood Women Say They've Been Sexually Harassed" - New York Post
- "Modern Family Planning In India" - Science Daily
- "Jama Study Child Marriages India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh" - Asian Scientist
- "How Common Sexual Misconduct in Hollywood" - USA Today
- "Tata Trusts and University of California San Diego partner to establish Tata Institute for Active Genetics and Society (TIAGS)" - PR Newswire, Cision
Publications
- Raj A, Saggurti N, Balaiah D, Silverman JG. Prevalence of child marriage and its effect on fertility and fertility-control outcomes of young women in India: a cross-sectional, observational study. Lancet (London, England). 2009;373(9678):1883-9. Epub 2009/03/13. PubMed PMID: 19278721; PMCID: PMC2759702.
- Raj A. When the mother is a child: the impact of child marriage on the health and human rights of girls. Archives of disease in childhood. 2010;95(11):931-5. Epub 2010/10/12. PubMed PMID: 20930011.
- Amaro H, Raj A. On the Margin: Power and Women's HIV Risk Reduction Strategies. Sex Roles. 2000;42(7):723-49.
- Raj A, Silverman JG. Violence against immigrant women: The roles of culture, context, and legal status on intimate partner violence. Violence Against Women. 2002;8(3):367-98.
- Silverman JG, Decker MR, Reed E, Raj A. Intimate partner violence victimization prior to and during pregnancy among women residing in 26 US states: associations with maternal and neonatal health. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2006;195(1):140-8.
References
- ^ Raj, Anita; Ghule, Mohan; Ritter, Julie; Battala, Madhusudana; Gajanan, Velhal; Nair, Saritha; Dasgupta, Anindita; Silverman, Jay G.; Balaiah, Donta (2016-05-11). "Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluation of a Gender Equity and Family Planning Intervention for Married Men and Couples in Rural India". PLOS ONE. 11 (5): e0153190. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0153190. ISSN 1932-6203.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Raj, Anita; Saggurti, Niranjan; Balaiah, Donta; Silverman, Jay G. (2009-05-30). "Prevalence of child marriage and its effect on fertility and fertility-control outcomes of young women in India: a cross-sectional, observational study". Lancet (London, England). 373 (9678): 1883–1889. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60246-4. ISSN 1474-547X. PMC 2759702. PMID 19278721.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link) - ^ Silverman, Jay G.; Decker, Michele R.; Reed, Elizabeth; Raj, Anita (2006–2007). "Intimate partner violence victimization prior to and during pregnancy among women residing in 26 U.S. states: associations with maternal and neonatal health". American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 195 (1): 140–148. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2005.12.052. ISSN 1097-6868. PMID 16813751.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date format (link) - ^ Amaro, Hortensia; Raj, Anita (2000). "On the Margin: Power and Women's HIV Risk Reduction Strategies". Sex Roles. 42 (7/8): 723–749. doi:10.1023/a:1007059708789. ISSN 0360-0025.