Dear Friends and Colleagues,

As the seasons change, let’s be hopeful for peace in the world and continue to be change makers! Every small part of your work matters, as we all care about being impactful.

This past month was Women's History Month, or rather “Herstory” featuring some of the biggest awareness days honoring women globally, including International Women's Day on March 8 here at RTI. While having this month to highlight incredible and awesome women and their achievements has been quite joyful, our commitment to addressing gender inequality through our global efforts is ongoing. Part of that commitment is ‘femtoring’ university students, as we celebrated International Women's Day by co-hosting the 13th Annual WomenNC Local to Global Forum, where WomenNC scholars virtually shared their findings from their research projects which examined issues faced by women in North Carolina communities. These scholars created policy recommendations based on their research, and had the opportunity to also share their research at this year's virtual UNWomen’s Commission on the Status of Women. We are so proud of the work that scholars have put in this year and I thank the RTI GGC femtors who worked with them! Ana Perez, RTI GGC Associate Director, was also on another environmental panel with our previous scholars now in graduate school at Harvard and Emory University. Thank you Ana!

We were very pleased to co-host an event with RTI International's Women's Advancement, Leadership and Success (WALS) Employee Resource Group and the RTI International Development Group (IDG) featuring the Founder of Girls who Code, Reshma Saujani, along with a panel of experts and researchers addressing gender inequalities. 

I am sure we are all anxious about Ukraine and our friends and colleagues there. Conflict and war has a disproportionate impact on women and children. We thank RTI management for matching funds to help.
I wish you all health in these continuously evolving times.

In health,
Wendee
she/her/hers

RTI Gender-related March Publications

• Arslan, E., Allshouse, A. A., Page, J. M., Varner, M. W., Thorsten, V., Parker, C., Dudley, D. J., et al. (2022). Maternal serum fructosamine levels and stillbirth: a case-control study of the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 129(4), 619–626.
• Bergey, M., Chiri, G., Freeman, N. L. B., & Mackie, T. I. (2022). Mapping mental health inequalities: The intersecting effects of gender, race, class, and ethnicity on ADHD diagnosis. Sociology of Health & Illness.
• Brown, C. M., Kanu, C., Richards, K. M., Stevens, L., Sasane, R., & McAneny, B. (2022). Exploring access to care from the perspective of patients with breast cancer: A qualitative study. Cancer medicine.
• Chawla, S., Natarajan, G., Laptook, A. R., Chowdhury, D., Bell, E. F., Ambalavanan, N., Carlo, W. A., et al. (2022). Model for severe intracranial hemorrhage and role of early indomethacin in extreme preterm infants. Pediatric Research.
• Eisenlohr-Moul, T., Divine, M., Schmalenberger, K., Murphy, L., Buchert, B., Wagner-Schuman, M., Kania, A., et al. (2022). Prevalence of lifetime self-injurious thoughts and behaviors in a global sample of 599 patients reporting prospectively confirmed diagnosis with premenstrual dysphoric disorder. BMC Psychiatry, 22(1), 199.
• Feltner, C., Peat, C., Reddy, S., Riley, S., Berkman, N., Middleton, J. C., Balio, C., et al. (2022). Screening for eating disorders in adolescents and adults: evidence report and systematic review for the US preventive services task force. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 327(11), 1068–1082.
• Flannery, D. D., Puopolo, K. M., Hansen, N. I., Gerber, J. S., Sánchez, P. J., Stoll, B. J., & Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. (2022). Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profiles Among Neonatal Early-onset Sepsis Pathogens. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 41(3), 263–271.
• Francis, L., Perrin, N., Black, M. M., & Allen, J. K. (2022). Mealtime environment and feeding practices in urban family child care homes in the united states. Childhood obesity (Print), 18(2), 102–111.
• Getahun, D., Fassett, M. J., Gatz, J., Armstrong, M. A., Peipert, J. F., Raine-Bennett, T., Reed, S. D., et al. (2022).Association Between Menorrhagia and Risk of Intrauterine Device-Related Uterine Perforation and Device Expulsion: Results from the APEX-IUD Study. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
• Giugale, L., Sridhar, A., Ferrante, K. L., Komesu, Y. M., Meyer, I., Smith, A. L., Myers, D., et al. (2022). Long-term Urinary Outcomes After Transvaginal Uterovaginal Prolapse Repair With and Without Concomitant Midurethral Slings. Female pelvic medicine & reconstructive surgery, 28(3), 142–148.
• Gray, K. D., Saha, S., Battarbee, A., Cotten, C. M., Boghossian, N., Walsh, M., & Greenberg, R. (2022). Outcomes of Moderately Preterm Infants of Insulin-Dependent Diabetic Mothers. American Journal of Perinatology.
• Groves, A. K., Bhushan, N. L., Stoner, M. C. D., Gómez-Olivé, F. X., Kahn, K., & Pettifor, A. E. (2022). HIV and herpes simplex virus type 2 incidence among adolescent mothers in South Africa: A longitudinal analysis of HIV prevention trials network 068 data. JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 89(3), e23–e29.
• Hauspurg, A., Marsh, D. J., McNeil, R. B., Bairey Merz, C. N., Greenland, P., Straub, A. C., Rouse, C. E., et al. (2022). Association of N-Terminal Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide Concentration in Early Pregnancy With Development of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy and Future Hypertension. JAMA Cardiology, 7(3), 268–276.
• McClure, E. M., & Goldenberg, R. L. (2022). Preterm neonatal survival: what is the role of prognostic models? BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 129(4), 539.
• Minnis, A. M., Browne, E. N., Chavez, M., McGlone, L., Raymond-Flesch, M., & Auerswald, C. (2022). Early sexual debut and neighborhood social environment in Latinx youth. Pediatrics, 149(3).
• Montgomery, E. T., Roberts, S. T., Reddy, K., Tolley, E., Hartmann, M., Wilson, E., Mathebula, F., et al. (2022). Integration of a Relationship-focused Counseling Intervention with Delivery of the Dapivirine Ring for HIV Prevention to Women in Johannesburg: Results of the CHARISMA Pilot Study. AIDS and Behavior, 26(3), 752–763.
• Mulhern, R., Roostaei, J., Schwetschenau, S., Pruthi, T., Campbell, C., & MacDonald Gibson, J. (2022). A new approach to a legacy concern: Evaluating machine-learned Bayesian networks to predict childhood lead exposure risk from community water systems. Environmental Research, 204(Pt B), 112146.
• Nguyen, K. H., Srivastav, A., Vaish, A., & Singleton, J. A. (2022). Population Attributable Fraction of Non-Vaccination of Child and Adolescent Vaccines Attributed to Parental Vaccine Hesitancy, 2018-2019. American Journal of Epidemiology.
• Nitpolprasert, C., Anand, T., Phanuphak, N., Reiss, P., Ananworanich, J., & Peay, H. L. (2022). A qualitative study of the impact of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on psychological and financial wellbeing and engagement in care among men who have sex with men living with HIV in Thailand. HIV Medicine, 23(3), 227–236.
• Parker, M. G., de Cuba, S. E., Rateau, L. J., Sandel, M. T., Frank, D. A., Cutts, D. B., Heeren, T. C., et al. (2022). Household unmet basic needs in the first 1000 days and preterm birth status. Journal of Perinatology, 42(3), 389–396.
• Ryan, J. H., Young, A., Musara, P., Reddy, K., Macagna, N., Guma, V., Seyama, L., et al. (2022). Sexual Attitudes, Beliefs, Practices, and HIV Risk During Pregnancy and Post-delivery: A Qualitative Study in Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. AIDS and Behavior, 26(3), 996–1005.
• Samsell, B., Lothman, K., Samsell, E. E., & Ideishi, R. I. (2022). Parents’ experiences of caring for a child with autism spectrum disorder in the United States: A systematic review and metasynthesis of qualitative evidence. Families, systems & health: the journal of collaborative family healthcare, 40(1), 93–104.
• Shapley-Quinn, M. K., Laborde, N., Luecke, E., Hoesley, C., Salata, R. A., Johnson, S., Nel, A., et al. (2022). Acceptability of the dapivirine vaginal ring in postmenopausal US women. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 36(3), 97–105.
• Shaw, J., Feeney, H., Meunier-Sham, J., Petricone, R., & Preiss, R. M. (2022). Using telehealth technology to serve patients reporting sexual assault: an evaluation of key telesane program features. Journal of forensic nursing.
• Shukla, V. V., Bann, C. M., Ramani, M., Ambalavanan, N., Peralta-Carcelen, M., Hintz, S. R., Higgins, R. D., et al. (2022). Predictive Ability of 10-Minute Apgar Scores for Mortality and Neurodevelopmental Disability. Pediatrics.
• Vernon-Feagans, L., Carr, R. C., Bratsch-Hines, M., & Willoughby, M. (2022). Early maternal language input and classroom instructional quality in relation to children’s literacy trajectories from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Developmental Psychology.
• Wesselink, A. K., Willis, S. K., Laursen, A. S. D., Mikkelsen, E. M., Wang, T. R., Trolle, E., Tucker, K. L., et al. (2022). Protein-rich food intake and risk of spontaneous abortion: a prospective cohort study. European Journal of Nutrition.
• Wolf, H. M., Romero, R., Strauss, J. F., Hassan, S. S., Latendresse, S. J., Webb, B. T., Tarca, A. L., et al. (2022). Study protocol to quantify the genetic architecture of sonographic cervical length and its relationship to spontaneous preterm birth. BMJ Open, 12(3), e053631.

We update our website regularly with all RTI Gender-related publications under resources. Please let us know if we missed any of yours. 

March Publication Feature

In farming households in Haiti, women's critical role in maize production is under researched yet vital to the growth of the sector. This article explores factors that may increase women's bargaining power in negotiated decisions about production practices and income use in male-headed households. We find that women's participation in market activities is positively associated with greater input on decisions related to maize production. However, household economic status is more important for adoption of best practices and has a positive relationship with women's input on income use. Results point to various pathways for engaging women in new market opportunities.

 

Springer, J., Latané, A., Brower, A., & Frazer, S. (2022). Exploring women's bargaining power in Haitian agricultural households. Journal of International Development, 1– 19. https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3641

RTI Gender-related March Project Wins

Congratulations to:

• Xinyan (Janet) Guo and team on their win, Guatemala Basic Education Quality and Transitions from Primary to Lower Secondary Education Activity, from the USAID Guatemala Mission
• Matthew Farrelly and team on their win, Monitoring Affective State Change with Wearable Technology: Assessing Physiological and Behavioral Mechanisms in PMDD, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Ryan Chartier and team on their win, Avoid the TRAP, from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Ho Chi Minh City
• Kim Hayes and team on their win, Add on: NY Prediabetes Media Evaluation Year 4_Rev Data Coll, from Health Research, Inc.
• Jon Poehlman and team on their win, RTI Main in support of 0981700.006 Rise India Evaluation, from RTI India
• Ishu Kataria and team on their win, RTI India in support of 0282100.281 Developing and piloting tools for overweight and obesity prevention, from RTI Internal
• Stacey Cutbush and team on their win, Outcomes for Human Trafficking Survivors: Evaluation TTA for the Texas Center for Child and Family Studies, from Texas Center for Child and Family Studies (TCCFS)

March Project Win Feature

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is a common disorder related to menstruation that impacts around 3-8% of women annually around the world, and can result in intense mood changes and physical symptoms around 1 to 2 weeks prior to the beginning of menses. RTI International researchers are seeking to understand the impact of activity changes on women's experiences of PMDD, including sleep changes, social media use, among others. 

Congratulations to Matthew Farrelly and team!

March Events

The RTI Global Gender Center and WomenNC hosted the 13th Annual Local to Gloibal Forum featuring WomenNC scholars' research. Scholars Margaret Gaw, Gabriela Goodman, Kerry Rork, Camille Lacueille, and scholar femtor Brittni Howard presented their research on topics ranging from housing insecurity in COVID-19 to the impact of COVID-19 on maternal and child care. Scholars then engaged in an exciting question-and-answer session with the over 70 attendees of this event. The following week, students presented their same findings to the UNWomen Commission on the Status of Women. If you would like to view this event, please find the recording here. 

RTI International also celebrated International Women's Day by welcoming keynote speaker Reshma Saujani, Founder of Girls Who Code and the Marshall Plan for Moms, along with a panel of RTI leaders, for a lively and important conversation about overcoming bias at work and beyond on March 9. It featured a refreshing and empowering discussion of how to break biases, what it means to "have it all," and important reflections of RTI researchers and leaders addressing gender in their work.

This event was hosted by the RTI Women’s Advancement, Leadership, and Success Employee Resource Group, the RTI Global Gender Center, and the RTI International Development Group.

Upcoming Events

Stay tuned for an event honoring Earth Day featuring RTI environmental and gender researchers!

14th InWomen's Group Conference: Facing Our Challenges and Keeping Our Commitment in the Field of Gender and Substance Use | June 10, 2022

The 2022 InWomen's Conference will be in-person this year in Minneapolis, Minnesota! The conference will also have a hybrid option for those who are unable to attend in person.

Late Breaker submissions with new data will be accepted for consideration May 1-7, 2022

Key Date: 
Registration Deadline: June 3, 2022 at 11:59 PM EDT

Registration coming soon!

Gender Science News 

Study points to strategies for closing the participation gender gap in engineering courses
Scientists discover why women are more resistant to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease than men
Gender gaps in daily time usage at different ages vary between countries
The ‘equal-opportunity jerk’ defense: Rudeness can obfuscate gender bias
New research sheds light on causes of reproductive disorders, infertility, miscarriage, birth defects

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