Departmental Affiliations
Center & Institute Affiliations
Kathryn Falb, ScD, MHS '07, designs and tests multidisciplinary strategies to prevent violence against women and children, primarily in humanitarian settings.
Research Interests
sexual violence; intimate partner violence; child abuse; trafficking; humanitarian; migration; armed conflict; natural disasters; participatory research; human centered design; implementation science
Experiences & Accomplishments
Dr. Falb is a social epidemiologist who uses qualitative and quantitative research approaches to collaboratively design, test, and scale violence against women and children prevention and response programs in humanitarian settings. She also focuses on advancing the science of adaptable, equitable, and rigorous research methods in challenging settings affected by armed conflict, climate change, or disaster. Before coming to academia, Dr. Falb spent over ten years as an embedded researcher within a humanitarian aid organization and is committed to creating actionable research that can influence programming and policies.
Honors & Awards
2023 - 2027 Leon S Robertson Development Chair in Injury Prevention
2013 Best Young Researcher Presentation, Sexual Violence Research Initiative Forum
2012 Harvard Hero for Extraordinary Staff Achievement, Harvard University
Select Publications
Falb KL, Asghar K, Blackwell A, Baseme S, Nyanguba M, Roth D, Hategekimana JDD. (2023). Improving family functioning and reducing violence in the home in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo: a pilot cluster-randomized controlled trial of Safe at Home. BMJ Open. 13(3): e065759.
Blackwell A, Agengo Y, Ozouko D, Ulrike Wendt J, Nigane A, Goana P, Kanani B, Falb KL. (2023). Drivers of 'voluntary' recruitment and challenges for families with adolescents engaged with armed groups: qualitative insights from Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo. PLoS Global Public Health. 3(5):e0001265.
Falb KL, Asghar K, Pardo N, Hategekimana JDD, Kakay H, Roth D, O’Connor M. (2022). Towards an inclusive conceptual model for violence in the home in humanitarian settings. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 37(3-4): 1076-1105.
Falb KL, and Annan J. (2021). Conducting rigorous and ethical evaluation research in acute settings is possible: an example of a cash transfer evaluation in Raqqa Governorate, Syria. Conflict and Health. 15(1).
Falb KL, Laird B, Ratnayake R, Rodrigues K, Annan J. (2019). The ethical contours of research in crisis settings: five practical considerations for academic institutional review boards and researchers. Disasters. 43(4): 711-26.