Press & Publication

Press

• Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health (January 16, 2025). 'An Illustrated Book on Puberty and Periods May Lead to Significant Gains in Knowledge for NYC Girls’.

• Sommer, M. (October 1, 2018 ). 'Education, gender and sexual health'. FreshEd Podcast. 

• Sommer, M. (September 18, 2018). 'All about menstruation, puberty'. The Citizen, Tanzania. 

• Sommer, M. (November 2, 2017). 'Mainstreaming menstruation'. WNPR, National Public Radio. 

• Sommer, M. (October 10, 2017). 'Why periods are political: The fight for menstrual equity'. National Public Radio.

• Sommer, M. (March 4, 2017). 'Menstruation 101 for Boys: A comic book is their guide'. National Public Radio.

Publications

• Nguyen, A., Camozzi, M., & Sommer, M. (2025) Impacts of a puberty and period education intervention among 9-12 year old girls in the New York metropolitan area: A randomized trial, BMC Public Health, 25.

• Sommer, M. & Schmitt, M.L. (2023). Taking Stock: An adaptable research and partnership model for developing puberty education in 10 countries. 

  Global Health: Science and Practice, 11(2).

• Teizazu, H., Gruer, C., Mandara, E., Sommer, M. (2023). A faith-based approach for puberty education in Tanzania: An exploratory assessment. Frontiers in Reproductive Health, 5.

• Schmitt, M., Hagstrom, C., Nowara, A., Gruer, C., Adenu-Mensah, N., Keeley, K., Sommer, M. (2022). “Girls may bleed through pads because of demerits”: Adolescent girls’ experiences with menstruation and school bathrooms in the U.S.A.(link is external and opens in a new window) Journal of Adolescent Research, 0(0). 

• Schmitt, M., Gruer, C., Hagstrom, C., Adenu-Mensah, N., Nowara, A., Keeley, K., Sommer, M. (2022). “It always gets pushed aside”: Qualitative perspectives on puberty and menstruation education in U.S.A. schools.(link is external and opens in a new window) Frontiers in Reproductive Health, 4:1018217.

• Schmitt, M., Hagstrom, C., Nowara, A., Gruer, C., Adenu-Mensah, N., Keeley, K., Sommer, M. (2021) The intersection of menstruation, school and family: Experiences of girls growing up in urban areas in the U.S.A.(link is external and opens in a new window) International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 26(1), 94-109. 

• Sommer, M., Skolnik, A., Ramirez, A., Lee, J., Rasoazanany, H & Ibitoye, M. (2019). Early Adolescence in Madagascar: Girls' Transitions Through Puberty in and out of School. The Journal of Early Adolescence. 

• Blake, S., Boone, M., Yenew Kassa, A., & Sommer, M. (2017). Teaching Girls About Puberty and Menstrual Hygiene Management in Rural Ethiopia: Findings From a Pilot Evaluation. Journal of Adolescent Research, 33(5), 623-646.

• Smiles, D., Short S. & Sommer, M. (2017). I Didn't Tell Anyone Because I Was Very Afraid: Girls' experiences of menstruation in contemporary Ethiopia. Women’s Reproductive Health, 4(3), 185-197.

• Scandurra, L., Khorn, D., Ashley-Charles, T.^ & Sommer, M. (2016). Cambodian boys’ transitions through puberty: Exploring the influence of masculinity norms on adolescent health. Culture, Health and Sexuality, 7(19), 767-780.

• Sommer, M., Ackatia-Armah, N., Connolly, S., & Smiles, D. (2015). A comparison of the menstruation and education experiences of girls in Tanzania, Ghana, Cambodia and Ethiopia. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 45(4), 589-609.

• Sommer, M., Likindikoki, S., & Kaaya, S. (2015). "Bend a fish when the fish is not yet dry": Adolescent boys' perception of sexual risk in Tanzania. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 44(3), 583-595. 

• Sommer, M., Likindikoki, S., & Kaaya, S. (2014). Tanzanian adolescent boys’ transitions through puberty: The importance of context. American Journal of Public Health, 104(12), 2290-2297.

• Sommer, M. & Ackatia-Armah, T. (2012). The gendered nature of schooling in Ghana: Hurdles to girls’ menstrual management in school. JENdA, 20, 63-79.

• Sommer, M. Structural factors influencing menstruating school girls’ health and well-being in Tanzania. (2012). Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education.

• Sommer, M. (2011). An Early Window of Opportunity for Promoting Girls Health: Policy Implications of the Girls Puberty Book Project in Tanzania. Global Journal of Health Education and Promotion, 14(1).

• Sommer, M. (2009). Where the education system and women’s bodies collide: The social and health impact of girls’ experiences of menstruation and schooling in Tanzania. Journal of Adolescence, 33(4): 521-529.