Our Team
Marni Sommer, Professor of Sociomedical Sciences, Director of GATE
Marni Sommer, DrPH, MSN, RN, has worked in global health and development on issues ranging from improving access to essential medicines to humanitarian relief in conflict settings. Dr. Sommer's particular areas of expertise include conducting participatory research with adolescents, the intersection of public health and education, menstrual health and hygiene (MHH), and the intersection of health and the environment. Dr. Sommer presently leads the GATE Program, based in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences. GATE explores the intersections of health and education for girls and boys in low-income countries and in the United States. GATE also generates research and practical resources focused on improving the integration of menstrual health and hygiene and supportive sanitation solutions into humanitarian response.
Sarah Combs, Associate Director of GATE
Sarah Combs, PhD, MPH, MSW, is a community psychologist who blends approaches from psychology, public health, and social work to adopt a holistic approach to research and evaluation. Her work concentrates on understanding issues surrounding reproductive health, housing insecurity, and well-being through an ecological framework. Sarah is a qualitative researcher who draws from decolonizing and participatory methods and her background reflects a balanced focus on research and program management. She has worked in domestic and international settings including New York, California, Hawaiʻi, and Southeast Asia. Sarah is particularly passionate about ensuring research is translated into digestible and actionable materials that can be used to affect change. Sarah holds a PhD in Community Psychology and MSW from the University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa, and a MPH from the Sociomedical Sciences Department at Columbia University.
Sarah Blake, Senior Research Program Manager
Sarah Blake, PhD, MPH, MSc has worked at the intersections of research and programming in gender, adolescent health and well-being and rights across diverse global contexts, including West Africa and Central Asia. Her research focuses on qualitative and participatory research on the health and social dimensions of adolescents’ transitions to adulthood. Dr. Blake has contributed to policy and evidence reviews, and program evaluations of health and educational interventions in school and community settings. In addition, she has worked with community, national, and international non-governmental organizations to gather and translate evidence into adolescent-centered, community-based programming. Dr. Blake holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of California, San Francisco, an MPH in Population and Family Health from Columbia University, and an MSc in Gender, Development, and Globalisation from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Mallary Taylor, Project Director
Mallary Taylor (she/they) is the Project Director for the Architecture for Menstrual Health Indicators (AiMHI) project, which aims to advance Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) priority indicators for national level monitoring, generating evidence, and shaping the global MHH agenda. Mallary has a background in grants, operations, and program management for sexual and reproductive health programs in humanitarian settings. Before joining GATE, she worked with the International Rescue Committee for six years, most recently supporting a research consortium that generates evidence on effective approaches to deliver life-saving maternal and newborn health care in DRC, Nigeria, Somalia, and South Sudan. She received a BA and a BS from Furman University and an MPH in population and family health from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
Sophie Qi, Doctoral Student
Sophie Qi is a third-year PhD student in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences, with a concentration in history. Her research interests center interaction between experts and lay people in health, and she is especially curious about how these dynamics play out in clinical encounters around menstrual health. Sophie also has research experience on the rollout of sanitation policies in Hong Kong regarding street vendors and home cleanliness campaigns. She is excited to contribute to several projects with the GATE team. Sophie has a BA in Health and Societies (HSOC) and History from the University of Pennsylvania and a MA in Sociomedical Sciences from Columbia University.
Roma Yi, Research Assistant
Roma Yi is a 2025 Post-Baccalaureate graduate from the School of General Studies, with a BS in Public Health from Rutgers University in 2018. Her previous research experience for New York University Center for Health, Identity, Behavior, and Prevention Studies (CHIBPS) focused on improving the well-being of men with HIV, substance use disorder, and mental health disorders. Roma’s previous professional experience includes serving in the United States Air Force as active-duty airman from 2019 to 2023, working as a dental lab technician and base Honor Guardsman. While in the military, she provided logistics and medical support with base-wide vaccination measures during the height of the pandemic. Her research interests include menstruation related disorders, women’s reproductive health, and women’s sports physiology.
Khashae Jackson, Research Assistant
Khashae (Shae) Jackson (she/her) is an MPH student in Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, and she earned her B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Comparative Women’s Studies from Spelman College. Khashae’s professional experience spans direct patient support in a southern abortion clinic, national program management at reproductive health nonprofits, and entrepreneurship as Founder of KEJ Services, which develops resources and housing networks to reduce logistical barriers to abortion care. Her research interests include qualitative methods to explore the lived experiences of abortion patients, the role of housing in reproductive healthcare access, and the impact of policy and stigma on care-seeking behaviors. Guided by Black feminist ethics, she leads with collective care, accountability, and justice, ensuring that public health spaces center the dignity and autonomy of those most impacted.
Fikrianti Surachman, Research Assistant
Fikrianti Surachman is a second-year MS student in Biostatistics, with a focus track in Pharmaceutical Statistics. Her research interests include clinical research, quantitative methods, and evidence translation. She is passionate about making science more accessible through visually engaging formats, and has supported public health campaigns through the Indonesian and Asian Young Pharmacists Groups. She earned her BS in Pharmacy and professional degree (Apoteker) from Institut Teknologi Bandung. She previously worked for five years at Indonesia’s national vaccine manufacturer, where she supported end-to-end clinical trial conduct for Rotavirus and COVID-19 vaccines. Her experience working in a male-dominated industry motivated her to explore ways to create more inclusive work environments that support women’s health.
Khadijah Syed Razif, Communications and Social Media Assistant
Khadijah Syed Razif is an MPH candidate in Sociomedical Sciences with a certificate in Infectious Disease Epidemiology. She earned her BSc in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Nottingham Malaysia in 2023. In 2023, she joined the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health (UNU IIGH), contributing to gender equity and decolonizing global health projects. She later worked with the University of Malaya’s Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS on the implementation of a pharmacy-based Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) service delivery model in Malaysia to expand HIV prevention among key populations at higher risk of HIV acquisition in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Khadijah also received a USD 2,000 grant to lead a menstrual health access and education project in Selayang, Kuala Lumpur. Her research interests include refugee health systems, gender equity, HIV prevention, and implementation science in humanitarian and low-resource settings.