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Sofia Gruskin
USC Gould School of Law

Sofia Gruskin

Professor of Law and Preventive Medicine, Director, Institute on Inequalities in Global Health

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Telephone: (323) 865-0826
 699 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90089-0074 USA Personal Website: Link

Last Updated: January 4, 2023



Sofia Gruskin directs the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health (IIGH). She is professor of preventive medicine and chief of the Disease Prevention, Policy and Global Health Division at the Keck School of Medicine, professor of law and preventive medicine at the Gould School of Law, and an affiliate faculty member with the Spatial Sciences Institute at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Within USC, she is highly engaged in university service including as co-chair of the USC Academic Senate Sustainability Committee, a member of the Joint Academic Senate and Provost Task Force on Interdisciplinary Communities, and primary convener of the USC Law & Global Health Collaboration.
 
Gruskin currently sits on numerous international boards and committees including the PEPFAR Scientific Advisory Board, The Lancet Commission on Gender and Global Health, the IUSSP Steering Committee to Strengthen Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems, and The Lancet Commission on Health and Human Rights. She is co-coordinator of the Rights-Oriented Research and Education Network for Sexual and Reproductive Health, an international network of sexual and reproductive health and rights researchers and advocates from the Global South and the Global North. Professor Gruskin has published extensively, including several books, training manuals and edited journal volumes, and more than 200 articles and chapters covering a wide range of topics. She is an associate editor for Global Public Health, on the editorial advisory board for Revue Internationale des Études du Développement, a trustee of Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, and was an associate editor of the American Journal of Public Health and editor-in-chief for Health and Human Rights both for over a decade.
 
A pioneer in bringing together multi-disciplinary approaches to global health, Gruskin’s work, which ranges from global policy to the grassroots level, has been instrumental in developing the conceptual, methodological and empirical links between health and human rights, with a focus on HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health, child and adolescent health, gender-based violence, non-communicable disease and health systems.
 
Current research partners include Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Office of International Affairs; United Nations Development Programme; World Health Organization; Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; Open Society Foundations; Global Action for Trans Equality; and local organizations and universities in Bangladesh, Brazil, Kenya, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa and Vietnam.
 
In recent years, Gruskin served on the board of directors for the Guttmacher Institute, the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on the Outcome and Impact Evaluation of Global HIV/AIDS Programs Implemented under the Lantos/Hyde Act of 2008, the UN Technical Advisory Group for the High-Level Working Group on the Health and Human Rights of Women, Children and Adolescents; the Technical Advisory Group of the UN Global Commission on HIV and the Law; the UNAIDS Reference Group on HIV and Human Rights; the Global Advisory Board on Sexual Health and Wellbeing; and the USC Senate Executive Board. Gruskin was with Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health for many years; director of the Program on International Health and Human Rights and associate professor in the Department of Global Health and Population; and co-founder and co-director of the Interdepartmental Program on Women, Gender and Health.
 
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Books

  • Leading the Realization of Human Rights to Health and Through Health. Report of the high-level working group on the health and human rights of women, children and adolescents. (World Health Organization, 2017).
  • Health and Human Rights in a Changing World (with M. Grodin,  D, Tarantola,  and G. Annas, eds.) (Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2013).
  • Perspectives in Health and Human Rights (with M. Grodin, G. Annas, and S.P. Marks, eds.) (Routledge,Taylor & Francis Group, 2005).
  • Health and Human Rights:  A Reader (with J. Mann, M. Grodin, and G. Annas, eds.) (New York:  Routledge, 1999).

Articles

  • “Expanding the Role of Paralegals: Supporting Realization of the Right to Health for Vulnerable Communities” (with A. Wirya et al). BMC International Health and Human Rights, vol. 20, no. 8 (2020).
  • “Reflections on 25 Years of Health and Human Rights: History, Context, and the Need for Strategic Action.” Health and Human Rights Journal, vol. 22, no. 1 (2020).
  • “A Call for (Renewed) Commitment to Sexual Health, Sexual Rights, and Sexual Pleasure: A Matter of Health and Well-Being” (with E. Kismödi). American Journal of Public Health, vol.110, no. 2 (2020).
  • “Twenty Five Years After the Beijing Declaration We Need to Reaffirm that Women’s Rights are Human Rights” (with R. Khosla et al). The BMJ Opinion (2020).
  • “Urgent Call for Human Rights Guidance on Diets and Food Systems” (with K. Buse et al). The BMJ Opinion (2019).
  • “A Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Journey: from Cairo to the Present” (with R. Brown et al). Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, vol.27, no.1, p. 326 (2019).
  • “Human Rights and Legal Dimensions of Self Care Interventions for Sexual and Reproductive Health” (with L. Ferguson et al). BMJ, vol. 365 (2019).
  • “Sexual Rights, Sexual Health and Sexual Pleasure: Meaningfully Engaging the Perfect Triangle” (with A. Usigli et al). Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, vol. 27, no. 1 (2019).
  • “Police-Related Deaths and Neighborhood Economic and Racial/Ethnic Polarization, United States, 2015–2016” (with JM. Feldman et al). American Journal of Public Health 109, no. 3, p. 458 (2019).
  • “We are Not Infertile: Challenges and Limitations Faced by Women in Same-Sex Relationships when Seeking Conception Services in São Paulo, Brazil” (with PGC. Carvalho et al). Culture, Health and Sexuality, vol. 21, no. 11, p. 1257 (2019).
  • “Desert, Rainforest or Jungle: Navigating the Global Sexual Rights Landscape” (with A. Miller et al). Sexuality Policy Watch, SexPolitics: Trends & Tensions in the 21st Century – Critical Issues (2018).
  • “A Meta-Narrative Literature Synthesis and Framework to Guide Future Evaluation of Legal Empowerment Interventions” (with K. Footer et al). Health and Human Rights Journal, vol. 20, no. 2 (2018).
  • “In Transition: Ensuring the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Transgender Populations: A Roundtable Discussion” (with A. Everhart et al). Reproductive Health Matters, vol. 26, no. 52 (2018).
  • “Assessing Changes in HIV-Related Legal and Policy Environments: Lessons Learned from a Multi-Country Evaluation” (with L. Ferguson et al). PLoS One, vol. 13, no. 2 (2018).
  • "Quantifying Underreporting of Law-Enforcement-Related Deaths in United States Vital Statistics and News-Media-Based Data Sources: A Capture–Recapture Analysis” (with J. Feldman et al). PLOS Medicine, vol. 14, no. 10 (2017).
  • "A Novel Methodology for Strengthening Human Rights Based Monitoring in Public Health: Family Planning Indicators as an Illustrative Example” (with L.Ferguson et al). PloS One, vol. 12, no. 23 (2017).
  • “Killed by Police: Quantifying Misclassification in Vital Statistics and Validating Media-Based Demographic Data (Massachusetts, 2004-2016)” (with J. Feldman, B. Coull, and N. Krieger N). American Journal of Public Health (2017).
  • “Engaging Human Rights in the Evolving Zika Virus Epidemic” (with J. Rasantham and S. MacCarthy). American Journal of Public Health, vol. 107, no. 4, p. 525 (2017).
  • “Human Rights, Gender and Infectious Disease: From HIV/AIDS to Ebola” (with L. Stemple and P. Karegeya). Human Rights Quarterly, vol. 38, p. 993 (2016).
  • “Monitoring HIV-Related Laws and Policies: Lessons for AIDS and Global Health in Agenda 2030” (with M. Torres et al). AIDS and Behavior, vol. 21, no. 1, p. 1 (2016).
  • “No ‘Shared Governance’ Without Attention to Law, Broadly Conceived” (with A. Capron). American Journal of Bioetics, vol. 16, no. 10, p. 54 (2016).
  • “Human Rights and the Sexual and Reproductive Health of Women Living with HIV – A Literature Review” (with Shubha Kumar et al). Journal of the International Aids Society, vol.18, supplement 5, p. 17 (December 2015).
  • “Men’s Violence Against Women and Men Are Inter-Related: Recommendations for Simultaneous Intervention” (with Paul J. Fleming et al). Special Issue, Social Science & Medicine, vol. 146, , p. 249 (2015).
  • “Sexual Rights as Human Rights: A Guide to Authoritative Sources and Principles for Applying Human Rights to Sexuality and Sexual Health” (with Alice M. Miller et al). Reproductive Health Matters, vol. 23, no. 46, p. 16 (2015).
  • “Sound and Fury – Engaging with the Politics and the Law of Sexual Rights” (with Alice M. Miller et al). Reproductive Health Matters, vol. 23, no. 46, p. 7 (2015).
  • “Advancing Sexual Health Through Human Rights: The Role of the Law” (with Eszter Kismoedi, Jane Cottingham, and Alice M. Miller). Special Issue, Global Public Health, vol.10, no. 2, p. 252 (2015).
  • “Air Pollution, Health, and Human Rights” (with Jonathan M. Samet). Lancet Respiratory Medicine, vol. 3, no. 2, p. 98  (2015).
  • “Applying Human Rights-Based Approaches to Public Health: Lessons Learned from Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Programs” (with Allison Smith-Estelle and Laura Ferguson). Etude de la Population Africaine, vol. 29, no. 1 p. 1713 (2015).
  • “Is the Right to Health Compatible with Sustainability?” (with Daniel D. Reidpath and Pascale Allotey). Journal of Global Health, vol. 5, no. 1, p. 010301 (2015).
  • “Reproductive Justice and the Pace of Change: Socioeconomic Trends in US Infant Death Rates by Legal Status of Abortion, 1960-1980” (with Nancy Krieger et al). American Journal of Public Health, vol. 105, no. 4, p. 680 (2015).
  • “Searching for Justice and Health” (with Daniel Tarantola and Kenneth Camargo). American Journal of Public Health, vol. 105, no. 8, p. 1511(2015).
  • “The HIV Care Cascade: Models, Measures and Moving Forward” (with Sarah MacCarthy et al). Journal of the International AIDS Society, vol. 18, no. 1, p. 19395 (2015).
  • “Why History Matters for Quantitative Target Setting: Long-Term Trends in Socioeconomic and Racial/ Ethnic Inequities in US Infant Death Rates (1960-2010)” (with Nancy Krieger et al). Journal of Public Health Policy, vol. 36, no. 3, p. 287 (2015).
  • “Climate Change and Human Rights: Roles, Responsibilities, and Action” (with Madhury Ray). Human Rights Defender, vol. 23, no. 1, p. 14 (2014).
  • “Global Health Justice.” Review of Global Health Law, by Lawrence O. Gostin. Lancet vol. 384, no. 9947, p. 945 (2014).
  • “HIV and Gender-Based Violence: Welcome Policies and Programmes, But Is the Research Keeping Up?” (with Kelly Safreed-Harmon et al). Reproductive Health Matters, vol. 22, no. 44, p. 174 (2014).
  • “What’s Pregnancy Got To Do with It? Late Presentation to HIV/AIDS Services in Northeastern Brazil.” AIDS Care, vol. 26, no. 12, p. 1514 (2014).
  • "Realigning Government Action with Public Health Evidence: The Legal and Policy Environment Affecting Sex Work and HIV" (with G. Williams and L. Ferguson). Culture, Health and Sexuality, vol. 16, no. 1 p. 14 (2013).
  • "Identifying Structural Barriers to an Effective HIV Response: Using 2010 NCPI Data to Evaluate the Human Rights, Legal and Policy Environment" (with L. Ferguson, T. Alverson, G. Peersman, and D. Rugg). Journal of the International AIDS Society, vol. 16, (2013).
  • "Human Rights in Health Systems Frameworks: What is There, What is Missing and Why Does it Matter?" (with S. Ahmed et al). Global Public Health, vol. 7, no. 4, p. 337 (2011).
  • "The Impacts of AIDS Movements on the Policy Responses to HIV/AIDS in Brazil and South Africa: A Comparative Analysis" (with A. Nunn, S. L. Dickman, and N. Nattras). Global Public Health, vol. 7, no. 20, p. 1031 (2012).
  • "Are Drug Companies Living Up to Their Human Rights Responsibilities? Moving Toward Assessment." PLOS Medicine, vol. 7, no. 9 (2010).
  • "Rights-Based Approaches to Health Policies and Programmers: Articulations, Ambiguities and Assessment" (with D. Bogecho and L. Ferguson). Journal of Public Health Policy, vol. 31, no. 2, p. 129 (2010).
  • "Using Human Rights for Sexual and Reproductive Health: Improving Legal and Regulatory Frameworks" (with J. Cottingham et al). Bulletin of the World Organization, vol. 88, no. 7, p. 551 (2010).
  • "Human Rights in the Global Response to HIV: Findings from the 2008 UNGASS Reports" (with L. Ferguson, G. Peersman, and D. Rugg). JAIDS, vol. 52, supplement 2, S104-S110 (2009).
  • "Government Regulation of Sex and Sexuality: In Their Own Words" (with L. Ferguson). Reproductive Health Matters, vol. 17, no. 34, p. 108 (2009).
  • "Using Indicators to Determine the Contribution of Human Rights to Public Health Efforts: Why? What? And How?" (with L. Ferguson). Bulletin of the World Health Organization, vol. 87, no. 9, p. 714 (2009).
  • "Justice and Human Rights: Priority Setting and Fair Deliberative Process" (with N. Daniels). American Journal of Public Health, vol. 98, no. 9, p. 1573 (2008).
  • "Health, Development and Human Rights." Australian Journal of Human Rights, vol. 13, no. 2, p. 1 (2008).

FACULTY IN THE NEWS

Annenberg Media
September 19, 2023
Re: Thomas Lenz

Thomas Lenz was quoted by Annenberg Media about the United Automobile Workers union ready to go on strike. "Strikes affect the livelihoods of those who choose to stop working. To the extent those persons aren’t earning money to spend that means stores, restaurants, and other businesses might not be as busy. If a strike lasts a long time bills might not get paid as easily, if at all," Lenz wrote.

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