Our Team

Marni Sommer, Professor of Sociomedical Sciences, Director of GATE 

Marni Sommer, DrPH, MSN, RN, has worked in global health and development on issues ranging from improving access to essential medicines to humanitarian relief in conflict settings. Dr. Sommer's particular areas of expertise include conducting participatory research with adolescents, the intersection of public health and education, menstrual health and hygiene (MHH), and the intersection of health and the environment. Dr. Sommer presently leads the GATE Program, based in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences. GATE explores the intersections of health and education for girls and boys in low-income countries and in the United States. GATE also generates research and practical resources focused on improving the integration of menstrual health and hygiene and supportive sanitation solutions into humanitarian response.

Sarah Combs, Associate Director of GATE

Sarah Combs, PhD, MPH, MSW, is a community psychologist who blends approaches from psychology, public health, and social work to adopt a holistic approach to research and evaluation. Her work concentrates on understanding issues surrounding reproductive health, housing insecurity, and well-being through an ecological framework. Sarah is a qualitative researcher who draws from decolonizing and participatory methods and her background reflects a balanced focus on research and program management. She has worked in domestic and international settings including New York, California, Hawaiʻi, and Southeast Asia. Sarah is particularly passionate about ensuring research is translated into digestible and actionable materials that can be used to affect change. Sarah holds a PhD in Community Psychology and MSW from the University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa, and a MPH from the Sociomedical Sciences Department at Columbia University.

Mallary Taylor, Project Director

Mallary Taylor (she/they) is the Project Director for the Architecture for Menstrual Health Indicators (AiMHI) project, which aims to advance Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) priority indicators for national level monitoring, generating evidence, and shaping the global MHH agenda.  Mallary has a background in grants, operations, and program management for sexual and reproductive health programs in humanitarian settings. Before joining GATE, she worked with the International Rescue Committee for six years, most recently supporting a research consortium that generates evidence on effective approaches to deliver life-saving maternal and newborn health care in DRC, Nigeria, Somalia, and South Sudan. She received a BA and a BS from Furman University and an MPH in population and family health from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. 

Sophie Qi, Doctoral Student

Sophie Qi is a third-year PhD student in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences, with a concentration in history. Her research interests center interaction between experts and lay people in health, and she is especially curious about how these dynamics play out in clinical encounters around menstrual health. Sophie also has research experience on the rollout of sanitation policies in Hong Kong regarding street vendors and home cleanliness campaigns. She is excited to contribute to several projects with the GATE team. Sophie has a BA in Health and Societies (HSOC) and History from the University of Pennsylvania and a MA in Sociomedical Sciences from Columbia University.

Serena Habib, Research Assistant

Serena Habib is pursuing a Master of Science in Social Work at the Columbia School of Social Work, and a Master of Public Health in Sociomedical Sciences at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. She previously received an Honours Bachelor of Arts and Science degree from McMaster University with a minor in Mental Health, Addiction, and Society. As the founder of the Canadian Premenstrual Disorders Association, Serena is passionate about increasing education, support, and access to equitable healthcare with regards to menstrual health and menstruation-related disorders. Serena’s research interests include implementing adolescent menstrual health education, strengthening healthcare providers’ knowledge and uptake of menstrual health guidelines, reducing diagnostic barriers and treatment delays for menstrual disorders, and understanding and addressing menstruation-related impacts on quality of life.

Shaka Ramanathan, Research Assistant

Shaka Ramanathan is an MPH candidate in the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, with a certificate in Public Health Research Methods. Prior to Columbia, she earned a B.S. in Psychology (with minors in Women’s Studies and Biology) from The Pennsylvania State University and completed an honors thesis examining menstrual activism frameworks through a decolonial feminist lens. Her work focuses on sexual and reproductive health, with particular interests in menstrual equity, contraceptive access, and reproductive justice. She brings a strong background in advocacy and reproductive health programming, most notably through her leadership with Days for Girls PSU, where she led menstrual equity initiatives and cultivated a safe, open space for menstrual health dialogue and education, and through her role as a Program Specialist at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, supporting national initiatives to expand access to contraception, abortion, and miscarriage care.

Britney Pham, Communications and Social Media Assistant

Britney Pham is a Master of Public Health candidate in Health Policy and Management at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, with a certificate in Health Communication. Her work centers on health equity and access, with a personal connection to menstrual health and to low health literacy, which shapes her interest in this space. She brings a background spanning communications, design, and community health education: through club leadership roles at Northwestern University, she managed social media outreach across multiple platforms; as a Research Study Assistant at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine, her work on participant-facing materials contributed to a significant increase in engagement; and as an administrative volunteer at the Chicago Women's Health Center, she helped develop patient-facing materials and supported referral networks. In her most recent role at Metropolitan Hospital, she designs community outreach initiatives and educational campaigns for East Harlem communities. Britney is excited to bring her communications and design experience to GATE's mission of advancing menstrual health education and support.