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.
Sarah Blake, Senior Research Program Manager
Sarah Blake, PhD, MPH, MSc has worked at the intersections of research and programming in gender, adolescent health and well-being and rights across diverse global contexts, including West Africa and Central Asia. Her research focuses on qualitative and participatory research on the health and social dimensions of adolescents’ transitions to adulthood. Dr. Blake has contributed to policy and evidence reviews, and program evaluations of health and educational interventions in school and community settings. In addition, she has worked with community, national, and international non-governmental organizations to gather and translate evidence into adolescent-centered, community-based programming. Dr. Blake holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of California, San Francisco, an MPH in Population and Family Health from Columbia University, and an MSc in Gender, Development, and Globalisation from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
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, Menstrual Health Fellow
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.
Rezwana Habib, Sid Lerner Adolescent and Women’s Health Fellow
Rezwana Habib is a Master of Public Health candidate in Population and Family Health at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, with a certificate in Public Health Research Methods. Her current work focuses on advancing sexual and reproductive health equity in under-resourced settings across South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Rezwana is particularly interested in the intersection of healthcare policy, health systems, and equitable access to care. She is passionate about using evidence to inform decision-making, with a focus on improving access to high-quality, culturally responsive care for vulnerable communities. Her research interests include menstrual health and hygiene, adolescent health, and broader health system design and access to care. She has experience in qualitative research methods, survey design, and data analysis, and is especially interested in translating research into practical, policy-relevant insights.