Mary Ellsberg
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Mary Carroll Ellsberg (born 1958) is an American
epidemiologist Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent diseases. It is a cornerstone ...
whose research focuses on
global health Global health is the health of populations in a worldwide context; it has been defined as "the area of study, research, and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide". Problems th ...
and
violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence (GBV) or sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), violent, violence primarily committed by Man, men or boys against woman, women or girls. Such violence is often considered hat ...
. She is the director of the Global Women's Institute at
George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
in
Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
Ellsberg is the daughter of Carol Cummings and the American military analyst and
whistleblower Whistleblowing (also whistle-blowing or whistle blowing) is the activity of a person, often an employee, revealing information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe, unethical or ...
,
Daniel Ellsberg Daniel Ellsberg (April 7, 1931June 16, 2023) was an American political activist, economist, and United States military analyst. While employed by the RAND Corporation, he precipitated a national political controversy in 1971 when he released th ...
, and sister to
Robert Ellsberg Robert Ellsberg (born 1955) is an American religious publisher and author who is the editor-in-chief and publisher of Orbis Books, the publishing arm of Maryknoll. Early life Robert is the son of Carol Cummings, the daughter of a Marine Corps Br ...
, the editor-in-chief and publisher of
Orbis Books Orbis Books is an American imprint of the Maryknoll order. It has been a small but influential publisher of liberation theology works. It was founded by Nicaraguan Maryknoll priest Miguel D'Escoto with Philip J. Scharper in 1970. Its editor- ...
, and author Michael Ellsberg.


Education

Ellsberg received her bachelor's degree in Latin American studies from
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
.George Washington University, The Global Womens Institute
Mary Ellsberg, PhD
/ref> In 2000, she obtained her Ph.D. in epidemiology and public health from
Umeå University Umeå University (; Ume Sami language, Ume Sami: ) is a public university, public research university located in Umeå, in the mid-northern region of Sweden. The university was founded in 1965 and is the fifth oldest within Sweden's present bord ...
in Sweden, where she wrote a thesis on domestic violence against women in Nicaragua.


Nicaragua

In 1979 Ellsberg moved to Nicaragua to work for peace and social justice, and she lived there for almost 20 years. During this time she participated in the Nicaraguan Literacy Campaign and worked with vaccination and health consultation programs on the Caribbean coast for the Nicaragua Department of Health. Subsequently, in 1995 she did a prevalence study on
domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...
in Nicaragua, finding that 50% of women had been beaten or raped by their partner. This study was used to pass the country's first domestic violence law in 1996. In 2000, she defended her Ph.D. thesis at
Umeå University Umeå University (; Ume Sami language, Ume Sami: ) is a public university, public research university located in Umeå, in the mid-northern region of Sweden. The university was founded in 1965 and is the fifth oldest within Sweden's present bord ...
on domestic violence in Nicaragua. After moving back to the United States, she has continued to conduct domestic violence research in Nicaragua.John Lantigua
"Mary Ellsberg: As a North American, I find it extremely painful that my government is financing the atrocities that surround me every day"
''The Washington Post'', May 31, 1987.


United States

After returning to the United States, Ellsberg served as the vice president for research and programs at the
International Center for Research on Women The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) is a non-profit organization with offices located in Washington, D.C., United States, New Delhi, Ranchi, and Jamtara, India, Nairobi, Kenya, and Kampala, Uganda. ICRW works to promote gende ...
in
Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
In 2012 she joined the faculty of
George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
where she is the director of the Global Womens Institute.


Scientific research

Ellsberg has studied domestic violence against women around the world, including Nicaragua, Melanesia, and South Sudan. She was a member of the core research team of the World Health Organization's Multi-Country Study on Domestic Violence and Women's Health, which has compared ten different countries in terms of prevalence, risk factors and consequences of
intimate partner violence Intimate partner violence (IPV) is domestic violence by a current or former spouse or partner in an intimate relationship against the other spouse or partner. IPV can take a number of forms, including physical abuse, physical, verbal abuse, verb ...
.Ellsberg M, Jansen HA, Heise L, Watts CH, Garcia-Moreno C. ''Intimate partner violence and women's physical and mental health in the WHO multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence: an observational study''. The Lancet. 2008 Apr 5;371(9619):1165–72.


Selected publications

* Ellsberg M, Caldera T, Herrera A, Winkvist A, Kullgren G. ''Domestic violence and emotional distress among Nicaraguan women: Results from a population-based study''. American Psychologist. 1999 Jan;54(1):30. * Ellsberg MC, Pena R, Herrera A, Liljestrand J, Winkvist A. ''Wife abuse among women of childbearing age in Nicaragua''. American journal of public health. 1999 Feb;89(2):241-4. * Ellsberg M, Peña R, Herrera A, Liljestrand J, Winkvist A. ''Candies in hell: women's experiences of violence in Nicaragua''. Social science & medicine. 2000 Dec 1;51(11):1595-610. * Ellsberg M, Heise L, Pena R, Agurto S, Winkvist A. ''Researching domestic violence against women: methodological and ethical considerations''. Studies in family planning. 2001 Mar;32(1):1–6. * Garcia-Moreno C, Jansen HA, Ellsberg M, Heise L, Watts CH. ''Prevalence of intimate partner violence: findings from the WHO multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence''. The Lancet. 2006 Oct 7;368(9543):1260-9. * Ellsberg M, Jansen HA, Heise L, Watts CH, Garcia-Moreno C. ''Intimate partner violence and women's physical and mental health in the WHO multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence: an observational study''. The Lancet. 2008 Apr 5;371(9619):1165–72. * Abramsky T, Watts CH, Garcia-Moreno C, Devries K, Kiss L, Ellsberg M, Jansen HA, Heise L. ''What factors are associated with recent intimate partner violence? Findings from the WHO multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence''. BMC public health. 2011 Dec;11(1):109. * Ellsberg M, Arango DJ, Morton M, Gennari F, Kiplesund S, Contreras M, Watts C. ''Prevention of violence against women and girls: what does the evidence say?''. The Lancet. 2015 Apr 18;385(9977):1555–66. * Ellsberg M, Contreras M
No safe place: A lifetime of violence for conflict-affected women and girls in South Sudan
Global Women's Institute, 2017 * Ellsberg M, Ugarte W, Ovince J, et al. Long-term change in the prevalence of intimate partner violence: a 20-year follow-up study in León, Nicaragua, 1995–2016. BMJ Global Health 2020;5:e002339. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002339


References


External links

* * TEDxFoggyBottom, Mary Ellsberg
Ending violence against women with numbers and stories
* George Washington Universit
Global Women's Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellsberg, Mary Living people American people of Jewish descent Domestic violence academics George Washington University faculty Yale College alumni Umeå University alumni 1958 births American women epidemiologists American epidemiologists