BCHS's Elizabeth Miller also directs the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine and maintains an active research program focused on reducing gender-based violence to improve adolescent health with funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the CDC, the Office on Women’s Health, and foundations. Examples of research include a cluster-randomized, controlled trial of a gender-based violence-prevention program, funded by the CDC, which involves training coaches to encourage their middle-school male athletes to recognize and stop disrespectful and harmful behaviors toward girls. Another CDC-funded study involves testing a gender transformative program (addressing healthy masculinity and sexuality) among African American males ages 13–19 in 20 neighborhoods in Pittsburgh. Another cluster-randomized, controlled trial is testing a brief sexual assault intervention (NIAAA R01) at student health centers on 28 college campuses.
Miller also serves as research consultant to Futures Without Violence, a national nonprofit organization providing resources to health care providers in their efforts to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault. Project Connect, a national training project funded by the Office on Women’s Health, involves work with states and tribal organizations on the integration of partner-violence prevention and intervention into public health programs, specifically reproductive health, adolescent health, and maternal-child health programs. Miller has served as the evaluator for this project as well as a similar project located in community health centers in California, funded by the Blue Shield of California Foundation.
Major Lectureships and Seminars
- “Rethinking Sexual and Dating Violence Prevention: Sex, Gender, and Trauma,” keynote speaker, International Family Violence and Child Victimization Research Conference, Portsmouth, N.H., 2016
- “Trauma Informed Care and Universal Education, Beyond Screening,” Texas Health Summit, Texas Council on Family Violence, Austin, TX, 2016
- “Rural Adolescent Health Disparities: Is It about Geography and Access?” Rural Behavioral Health Conference, Canonsburg, Pa., 2016
- “Rethinking Relationship Abuse in Sexual Violence Prevention in Adolescents: Sexuality, Trauma and Gender,” 2016 Ohio Adolescent and Young Adult Health Statewide Summit, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 2016
- “Understanding IPV, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Strategy to Address Intimate Partner Violence,” (IPV) Summit, Rockville, Md., 2016
- “Rethinking Dating and Sexual Violence Prevention: Exploring the Roles of Sexuality, Trauma, and Gender,” Healthy Relationships Brown Bag Lecture Series, Penn State New Kensington, New Kensington, Pa., 2017
- “Impact of Violence on Health,” National Health Collaborative on Violence and Abuse, Congressional Briefing, Washington D.C., 2017
