Dr. Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda, PhD, MPH, RN, CPH, FAAN, Assistant Dean of the PhD Program and Associate Professor at Duke University School of Nursing has been appointed to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s (NASEM) Committee on Sustaining Essential Health Care Services Related to Intimate Partner Violence During Public Health Emergencies. The charge of the committee is to develop a conceptual framework for delivering essential preventive and primary health care services related to intimate partner violence (IPV) during public health emergencies using an all-hazards approach.

Since the onset of COVID-19, emerging data shows that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly intimate partner violence, has intensified, making it even more difficult to access basic health services. Pandemics are associated with several factors that may intensify violence in the home, such as forced cohabitation the violent partner due to quarantine, social isolation and stress linked to economic insecurity and the fear of losing a job. Public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic and other hazards have the potential to negatively affect a wide range of women’s health care services, including those related to intimate partner violence.

“Since the pandemic we know that intimate partner violence has become more severe, making it crucial for us in healthcare to plan for ways to continue to deliver care to those that need it most, especially under extraordinary circumstance like a public health emergency” said Dr. Gonzalez-Guarda. “This committee will work to identify and define essential health care services related to intimate partner violence based on current available evidence, identify ways to prepare for and prioritize the provision of these health care services, and ensure health equity for populations that are disproportionately affected by both intimate partner violence and public health emergencies.”

Dr. Gonzalez-Guarda joins the committee with a critical perspective and knowledge base with her primary research focused on the intersection of IPV, substance abuse, HIV and mental health among Latinos in the U.S. At the Duke School of Nursing, addressing social determinants of health that affect people’s ability to access healthcare has taken front and center. The school is taking tangible steps to end health inequity, like participating in committees such as this, and the creation of www.DUSONtrailblazer.com, a set of conceptual and applied web resources for harmful social determinants of health mitigation.