Ilana Seff’s research agenda is focused on improving the lives of vulnerable and marginalized populations across the globe through evidence-based public health solutions. Her extensive research experience encompasses the prevention of violence against women and girls, particularly in humanitarian settings, and the psychosocial well-being and mental health of refugees and other displaced populations. Seff’s work aligns with the public health commitment to addressing profound health disparities and ensuring equitable access to care and support services. 

Employing mixed methods approaches, Seff evaluates and informs interventions by combining qualitative insights with innovative and valid quantitative and participatory measures. Her current projects reflect her dedication to public health outcomes: 

  • Multiple evaluations of the Sibling Support for Adolescent Girls in Emergencies (SSAGE) initiative, a gender-transformative, family-focused intervention that aims to improve family functioning and shift gender norms in Colombia, northern Nigeria, Jordan and Niger.  
  • A joint study with UNICEF to explore how infectious-disease outbreaks and their corresponding response measures impact the risk and experiences of gender-based violence for women and girls in low- and middle-income countries. 
  • The Study of Adolescent Lives after Migration to America (SALaMA), which assesses the psychosocial well-being and best practice supports for adolescents resettled in the U.S. from Arab-majority countries.  

Seff received her DrPH in Global Health and Humanitarian Systems from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University and an MPH from the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University.  

Areas of focus:

  • Violence prevention 
  • Social norms 
  • Psychosocial well-being and mental health 
  • Refugees and displaced populations 
  • Measurement  

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