Professor Dr. Yasamin Kusunoki

Biography

Dr. Kusunoki’s research focuses on understanding sources of gender, racial/ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in reproductive health behaviors and outcomes during adolescence and emerging adulthood, particularly the role of young people’s social contexts in intimate relationships, families, neighborhoods, and schools. She is a Co-Investigator on the NICHD-funded longitudinal study, Relationship Dynamics and Social Life, which investigates dynamic factors that contribute to the risk of unintended pregnancy among emerging adults. As the Principal Investigator of another NICHD-funded study, she uses data to examine the correlates and consequences of intimate partner violence. Kusunoki also explores the trajectories of sexual violence victimization and perpetration among adolescents, and conducts translational research to develop interventions for intimate partner violence and reproductive coercion in clinical settings.

Research Interests