Yasamin Kusunoki, PhD, MPH
University of Michigan School of Nursing
400 North Ingalls Building
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5482
Interests
- Intimate partner violence and reproductive coercion
- Sexual and reproductive health
- Gender, racial/ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities
- Neighborhood contextual influences
- Population health
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 such as their intimate relationships, families, neighborhoods, and schools. She is Co-I on the NICHD-funded, longitudinal study, the Relationship Dynamics and Social Life (RDSL), which investigates the dynamic factors that contribute to the risk of unintended pregnancy during emerging adulthood. She is PI on an NICHD-funded R03 and several internal grants from the Population Studies Center and the Institute for Research on Women and Gender using these data to examine the correlates and consequences of intimate partner violence. She is a Co-I on an NICHD-funded R03 that investigates trajectories of sexual violence victimization and perpetration among adolescents in middle and high school and a Co-PI on an Injury Center pilot grant studying attitudes and behaviors related to sexual violence perpetration among emerging adults. She is also conducting translational research funded by MICHR and the Injury Center that is collecting pilot data on intimate partner violence and reproductive coercion experiences among women in reproductive health clinic settings in order to inform the development of an intimate partner violence and reproductive coercion intervention.
Current Research Grants and Programs
- The Dynamics of Intimate Partner Violence. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), PI.
- Contraceptive Discovery, Development and Behavioral Research Center. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Co-I.
- The Dynamics of Intimate Relationships and their Dissolution during Young Adulthood. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Co-I.
- Understanding Adolescent Sexual Violence: A Longitudinal Examination of Gender and Associated Risk Factors. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Co-I.
- Leveraging Social Media to Inform Prevention and Intervention Efforts to Reduce Sexual Violence among Adolescents & Emerging Adults. University of Michigan Injury Prevention Center (UMIPC), Co-PI.
- Arab American Women’s Reproductive Health Project. Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research (MICHR) and Population Studies Center (PSC), PI.
- Integrating Reproductive Health Services into Substance Use Treatment: A Feasibility Study, U-M School of Nursing, PI.
Teaching
Dr. Kusunoki’s teaching philosophy is grounded in her experiences as a student, teacher, and mentor. She has trained and mentored undergraduate and graduate students on both research methods and substantive topics. Her main goals for student learning are the acquisition of information and the development of three key skills: critical thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to articulate ideas both verbally and in writing. These skills are not only necessary to learn the information being taught but will also help students realize their career and life-long objectives. She currently teachs Research Synthesis and the Capstone Residency for DNP students and Observational Research for PhD students in the School of Nursing. She also regularly guest lectures at the School of Public Health and School of Nursing on topics that include adolescent development, adolescent sexual and reproductive health, unintended pregnancy, and intimate partner violence.
Affiliations / Service
- Member, Population Association of America, 2000-present (several service roles 2010-2021)
- Member, CAsCAid, 2016-present
- Member, Center for Sexuality and Health Disparities, 2017-present
- Member, Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWG) Initiative on Gender Based Violence and Sexual Harassment, 2018-present
- Member, UMSN Faculty and Staff of Color Working Group, 2020-present
Notable Awards / Honors
- Family Section Award for Article of the Year, American Sociological Association of America, for “The Dynamics of Intimate Partner Violence and the Risk of Pregnancy During the Transition to Adulthood”, 2020
- Poster Award in the Fertility, Family Planning, Sexual Behavior, and Reproductive Health Section, Population Association of America, for “A Pilot Study of Reproductive Autonomy and Reproductive Health Outcomes of Arab American Women in Southeast Michigan”, 2020
- Poster Award for the Sexual and Reproductive Health Section, American Public Health Association, for “Coercive Experiences and Sexual/Reproductive Health Outcomes among Women with Opioid Use Disorders”, 2018
- Robert DuRant Award for Statistical Rigor in Adolescent Health Research, Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, for “The Risk of Unintended Pregnancy among Young Women with Mental Health Symptoms”, 2014
- PTSP Scholar, Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research and the Injury Center, University of Michigan, 2014-2016
- NICHD Postdoctoral Fellow, Population Studies Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 2007-2010
Education
- PhD, University of California at Los Angeles, 2007
- MPH, University of California at Los Angeles, 1999
- BS, University of California at San Diego, 1996
Publication Highlights
Khan, A., Eid, N., Baddah, L., Elabed, L., Makki, M., Tariq, M., King, E., & Kusunoki, Y. (Forthcoming.) A qualitative study on intimate partner violence and reproductive coercion among Arab American women in southeast Michigan. Violence Against Women.
Loder, C., Hall, K.S., Kusunoki, Y., Harris, L.H., & Dalton, V. (Forthcoming.) Associations between perceived discrimination and contraceptive method use: why we need better measures of discrimination in reproductive healthcare. Women and Health.
Barber, J.S., Guzzo, K.B., Budnick, J., Hayford, S., Kusunoki, Y., & Miller, W. (2021). Black-white differences in pregnancy desires during the transition to adulthood. Demography, 58(2): 603-630.
Kusunoki, Y. & Barber, J.S. (2020). The dynamics of relationships and contraception during emerging adulthood. Demography, 57(6): 2003-2034.
Weitzman, A., & Kusunoki, Y. (2020). The prevalence, frequency, and social ecology of sexual concurrency among young adult women. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 5(2): 129.138.
Brew, B., Weitzman, A., Musick, K., & Kusunoki, Y. (2020). Young women’s joint relationship, sex, and contraceptive trajectories: Evidence from the United States. Demographic Research, 42(34): 933-984.
MacAfee, L.K., Harfmann, R.F., Cannon, L.M., Kolenic, G., Kusunoki, Y., Terplan, M., & Dalton, V.K. (2020). Sexual and reproductive health characteristics of women in substance use treatment in Michigan. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 135(2): 361-369.
Bonar, E.E., Ngo, Q.M., Philyaw-Kotov, M.L., Walton, M.A., & Kusunoki, Y. (2019). Stealthing perpetration and victimization: Prevalence and correlates among emerging adults. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
Kusunoki, Y., & Barber, J.S. (2019). Intimate relationship dynamics and women’s expected control over sex and contraception. Contraception, 100(6): 484-491.
Barber, J.S., Miller, W., Kusunoki, Y., Hayford, S.R., & Guzzo, K.B. (2019). Intimate relationship dynamics and changing desire for pregnancy among young women. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 51(3): 143-152.
Shen, S., & Kusunoki, Y. (2019). Intimate partner violence and psychological distress among emerging adult women: A bi-directional relationship. Journal of Women’s Health, 28(8): 1060-1067.
Ngo, Q., Veliz, P., Kusunoki, Y., & Boyd, C. (2018). Adolescent sexual violence: Prevalence, adolescent risks, and violence characteristics. Preventive Medicine, 116: 68-74.
Barber, J.S., Kusunoki, Y., Gatny, H.H., & Budnick, J. (2018). The dynamics of intimate partner violence and the risk of pregnancy during the transition to adulthood. American Sociological Review, 83(5): 1020-1047.
Kusunoki, Y., Barber, J.S., Gatny, H.H., & Melendez, R. (2018). Physical intimate partner violence and contraceptive behaviors among young women. Journal of Women’s Health, 27(8): 1016-1025.
Kusunoki, Y., Barber, J.S., Ela, E.J., & Bucek, A. (2016). Black-white differences in sex and contraceptive use among young women. Demography, 53(5): 1399–1428.
