About
Dr. Erin C. Hunter is Assistant Professor of Global Health at Clemson University, Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Honorary Senior Lecturer in The University of Sydney School of Public Health. She holds a PhD and MPSH in International Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and is a two-time Critical Language Scholar sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. She is a mixed-methods researcher whose work informs the development of social and behavioral interventions to improve the health and well-being of women and girls. She also applies qualitative methods to improve quantitative measurement in survey research and program evaluation in global health. She applies these approaches across a range of topical areas, including sexual, reproductive, and menstrual health. Prior to joining Clemson, Dr. Hunter was a tenure-track faculty member in the School of Public Health at The University of Sydney where she coordinated the Master of Global Health program and chaired the network of early career researchers. Prior to Sydney, Dr. Hunter consulted for the WHO Reproductive Health and Research Department on maternal health research and coordinated multi-sectoral research and health systems strengthening projects comprising government, NGO, community, and academic partners while seconded from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to collaborating institutions in Bangladesh
Visit Dr. Hunter's Faculty Profile.
How their research is transforming health care
Dr. Hunter is a chief investigator on the Adolescent Menstrual Experiences and Health Cohort (AMEHC) Study which is following a cohort of 2,016 girls in Khulna, Bangladesh. The AMEHC Study is the first dedicated prospective cohort to investigate changes in a broad set of menstrual needs and experience throughout adolescence and the first study that is positioned to estimate the impact of sustained exposure to poor menstrual health on physical and mental health and education outcomes. Dr. Hunter served as principal investigator of a 19-country study (CoTSIS Study)—the largest cross-cultural cognitive testing study to date—to assess the cultural portability of a novel survey instrument for the World Health Organization to facilitate cross-national comparison of sexual practices and health data (The SHAPE Questionnaire), which was recently highlighted in The Economist. Dr. Hunter’s prior research in collaboration with icddr,b to pilot and evaluate school-based menstrual health interventions directly informed the Government of Bangladesh’s National Menstrual Hygiene Strategy. Her maternal health research with the WHO’s Department of Reproductive Health and Research has been highlighted in The New York Times and informed the WHO’s Statement.on the.prevention.and.elimination.of.disrespect.and.abuse.during.facility‗based.childbirth¡ Dr. Hunter’s work to improve measurement in research and evaluation in the menstrual health field has resulted in the creation of the Self-Efficacy in Addressing Menstrual Needs Scale (SAMNS-26), the Menstrual Practice Needs Scale Short Form (MPNS-SF) and Rapid Form (MPNS-R), and informed UNICEF’s Guidance for Monitoring Menstrual Hygiene.
News and media related to Dr. Hunter's research
The Economist: How better data could lead to better sex
New York Times: Report Shows Widespread Mistreatment by Health Workers During Childbirth
The Conversation: Supporting menstrual health in Australia means more than just throwing pads at the problem
University of Sydney News: Living with menstruation is more than just pads and toilets; International Day of Women and Girls In Science; Does menstruation affect university students' education?
Health Research Expertise Keywords
Global health, qualitative research, mixed-methods research, formative research, social and behavioral interventions, menstrual health, sexual and reproductive health, adolescent health, community-based research, cognitive interviewing.
