Sofia Gruskin appointed USC Distinguished Professor

Sofia Gruskin, Professor of Preventive Medicine and the Keck School of Medicine and Professor of Law at USC Gould, has been appointed to a Distinguished Professorship, one of USC’s highest academic honors.

In a message to the USC community, Provost Andrew Guzman noted that the University and Distinguished professorships are presented “annually to select outstanding faculty who have brought great distinction and honor to our university through their work. Their research enlightens and enriches collective understandings outside of USC and contributes to the advancement of society.”

Gruskin’s scholarly achievements will be celebrated at the university’s annual Academic Honors Convocation in April.

Knowledge in action

Gruskin serves as director of the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health and has been invited to speak internationally on the subject more than 100 times. Her research takes a multidisciplinary approach to broad health and human rights challenges including HIV and sexual and reproductive health, child and adolescent health, gender-based violence, and non-communicable diseases. Her work also addresses new areas including inequality in climate change, sustainability and COVID-19. In recent years, she has been awarded the United Nations Global Citizen Award and the Max Hayman Award from the Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice.

She sits on numerous international boards and committees, including the PEPFAR Scientific Advisory Board and the Lancet Commission on Gender and Global Health and has also served on the board of directors for the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy NGO, and on several advisory committees for the United Nations, where she evaluates global HIV/AIDS programs and the human rights of women, children and adolescents. She has completed 74 research grants, published 156 peer-reviewed articles, served on more than 20 thesis committees and written several books and training manuals.

In addition to her research institute duties, she is the primary convener of the USC Law & Global Health collaboration, sits on the USC Academic Senate Executive Board, and has research partnerships with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ Office of International Affairs, the World Health Organization and the International AIDS Society.