Spring 2015 Updates: Lynne Stevens Memorial Programs from the DFM
The Lynne Stevens Memorial Committee is very pleased to announce the winner of the 2015 Stevens Award for Research or Practice Improvement, a program to improve the health care system’s response to women impacted by gender-based violence. This year’s winner is Naomi Ko MD MPH. Dr. Ko is an oncologist and health services researcher seeking to learn from interpersonal trauma survivors through qualitative interviews how to improve their experience of breast cancer screening and treatment and make the entire spectrum of care more trauma-informed. Dr. Ko’s co-investigators are Tracy Battaglia, MD MPH, who is chief of Women’s Health, Emily Rothman, ScD , a researcher and BUSPH faculty member, and Megan Bair-Merritt, MD, MSCE , pediatrician and Medical Director of the Child Witness to Violence Project.
This award which will also support training tips for providers, holds promise of extending the impact of the Stevens programs into the world of oncology screening and treatment. Previous Stevens award winners have identified barriers and facilitators in the VA system in addressing the needs of female veterans who have experienced sexual or intimate partner violence , have set up expedited follow up care in the Dept of OB-GYN for women seeking emergency care following sexual assault, have done some of the first ever trainings for physicians and healthcare providers in the BU affiliated healthcare facilities in the African country of Lesotho , and are working to identify ways to understand better and improve healthcare for Boston area Muslim women with experiences of intimate partner violence.
Additionally, on April 21, 2015, the Department of Family Medicine hosted the 6th Annual Lynne Stevens Memorial Lecture, delivered by Juan Ramos from A Call To Men, a national advocacy organization working to engage men as active participants in ending men’s violence against women. Open to participants from across the BUMC and wider campus and community, attendees paid rapt attention to Mr. Ramos during his lecture in Heibert Lounge with an interactive discussion following the talk.
Mr. Ramos brings extensive experience working with men from all backgrounds including having just returned from an extensive training with Major League Baseball players, coaches and staff. He has worked with leading organizations serving women survivors of violence as well as perpetrator intervention programs and brings additional depth of experience with courts and community programs regarding gang violence, housing and other social problems.
In his talk, Mr. Ramos reviewed several relevant statistics and other information about gender-based violence from his work with both victims and perpetrators. Participants gained a broader understanding of how the attitudes and beliefs that lead some men to use violence against women negatively impact women, men, children and whole communities. The “call to men” is for men to take responsibility and follow the lead of women to build a society that respects the dignity, safety, and humanity of all.
More information about the Lynne Stevens Memorial Programs, including past years’ award winners and lecturers, can be found by visiting https://www.bu.edu/familymed/programs-and-research/lynne-stevens-lecture/annual-lectures/. For more information about A Call to Men please visit http://www.acalltomen.org.