Emily Rothman
Profiles

Emily F. Rothman, ScD

Professor, Community Health Sciences - Boston University School of Public Health

617-358-1470
erothman@bu.edu
Crosstown Center
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Biography

Dr. Emily F. Rothman is professor and chair of the Occupational Therapy Department, with a secondary appointment at the BU School of Public Health where she has been a faculty member since 2004. Dr. Rothman is a social epidemiologist. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Wesleyan University and her doctorate in science from Harvard School of Public Health (’04). She began her professional career working in a domestic violence shelter, at a counseling program for men who perpetrated domestic violence, and volunteering for a sexual assault hotline in Vermont. Her public health research has focused on understanding the etiology of, and preventing, intimate partner and sexual violence, and has also involved research on firearm violence, human trafficking, and pornography. A through-line on these projects has been a focus on promoting health equity for marginalized populations, and in particular sexual and gender minority people, and Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC). In 2016, Dr. Rothman began a new line of research on autism, which takes a neurodiversity perspective and is conducted in partnership with autistic people. She has brought her scholarly interests together by developing interventions to prevent sexual and intimate partner violence for neurodiverse people. She has published more than 130 peer-reviewed papers (as of May 2023). Her research has been published in journals including New England Journal of Medicine, Pediatrics, American Journal of Public Health, JAMA Pediatrics, Journal of Adolescent Health, Prevention Science, Autism, OTJR, and AJOT.

Dr. Rothman has been a federally-funded principal investigator (PI) since 2009. She has been awarded more than $8M in external research funds, with grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), US Department of Defense (DoD), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), Patient Centered Outcomes Institute (PCORI), Organization for Autism Research (OAR), and others. Her TED talk “How porn changes the way teens think about sex” has garnered more than 3.2 million views, and her research on pornography was a focus of a 2018 article in The New York Times Magazine. She is an appointed member of the Massachusetts Governor’s Council on Sexual and Domestic Violence, and served on the Massachusetts Task Force on Sexual Assault Climate Surveys. She is the author of the book “Pornography and Public Health” (Oxford University Press, 2021). She is frequently consulted by media. She has appeared on the “Today” show on NBC, and her research has been featured on NPR and by The New York Times Magazine, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Teen Vogue, and other media outlets.

Affiliation: BU CRC Faculty/Staff

Other Positions

  • Professor, Occupational Therapy - Boston University College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College
  • Chair, Occupational Therapy - Boston University College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College
  • Professor, Emergency Medicine - Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Professor, Pediatrics - Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Education

  • Harvard School of Public Health, ScD Field of Study: Social & Behavioral Sciences
  • Harvard School of Public Health, MS Field of Study: Maternal & Child Health
  • Harvard School of Public Health, MS Field of Study: Social & Behavioral Sciences
  • Wesleyan University, BA Field of Study: English Literature

Websites

Publications

  • Published on 2/25/2025

    Cusano JL, Erwin V, Miller D, Rothman EF. The transition to menopause for autistic individuals in the US: a qualitative study of health care challenges and support needs. Menopause. 2025 Feb 25. PMID: 39999467.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 2/24/2025

    Rothman EF, Cusano J, Graham Holmes L, Taylor BG, Cuevas CA, Mumford EA. Elevated Odds of Dating Violence Among U.S. Youth with Mental Health and Neurodevelopmental Conditions: Estimates from a Nationally Representative Cross-Sectional Study. J Interpers Violence. 2025 Feb 24; 8862605251319010. PMID: 39994957.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 12/20/2024

    Sheridan-Johnson J, Mumford EA, Moschella-Smith EA, Maitra P, Rein DB, Rothman EF. Economic Impacts of Technology-Facilitated Abuse Among U.S. Young Adults. J Interpers Violence. 2024 Dec 20; 8862605241305146. PMID: 39704008.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 11/1/2024

    Nemati D, McKee D, Rothman EF. Abortion Law Changes and Occupational Therapy Practice in the United States. Am J Occup Ther. 2024 Nov 01; 78(6). PMID: 39383306.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 9/15/2024

    Cusano J, Graham Holmes L, Caplan R, Rothman EF. Prevalence and Correlates of Dating Violence Victimization Among a U.S.-Based Sample of Autistic Youth. J Interpers Violence. 2025 Jun; 40(11-12):2676-2699. PMID: 39279330.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 5/11/2024

    Mark TE, Bair-Merritt MH, Chung SE, Flessa SJ, Trent M, Rothman EF, Matson PA. Discordant and Concordant Substance Use and Daily Partner Violence in Adolescent and Young Adult Relationships With Baseline Dating Violence. J Adolesc Health. 2024 Jul; 75(1):69-75. PMID: 38739051.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 2/20/2024

    Sheridan-Johnson J, Mumford E, Maitra P, Rothman EF. Perceived Impact of COVID-19 on Cyberabuse, Sexual Aggression, and Intimate Partner Violence Among U.S. Young Adults. J Interpers Violence. 2024 Aug; 39(15-16):3483-3507. PMID: 38379202.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 1/11/2024

    Taft CT, Rothman EF, Gallagher MW, Hamilton EG, Garza A, Creech SK. Examining strength at home couples to prevent intimate partner violence on a military installation: A randomized controlled trial. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2024 Apr; 92(4):202-212. PMID: 38206858.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 11/30/2023

    Mumford EA, Maitra P, Rothman EF, Sheridan-Johnson J. The Victim-Offender Overlap in Technology-Facilitated Abuse: Nationally Representative Findings Among U.S. Young Adults. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2023 Dec; 26(12):904-912. PMID: 38032960.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 9/26/2023

    Holmes LG, Xuan Z, Quinn E, Caplan R, Sanchez A, Wharmby P, Holingue C, Levy S, Rothman EF. Alcohol Use Patterns Among Underage Autistic and Non-Autistic Youth. J Autism Dev Disord. 2024 Oct; 54(10):3808-3822. PMID: 37751088.

     Read At: PubMed

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