Professor Summer Hawkins. Photo by Caitlin Cunningham for BC Photography.
Summer Sherburne Hawkins is a professor at Boston College School of Social Work and the newly appointed director of the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good. She is a social epidemiologist whose research focuses on women’s and children’s health. She uses quasi-experimental and econometric methods to evaluate natural experiments created by policy change, and her recent publications examine cannabis use before and during pregnancy.
Hawkins recently received two new grants from the National Institutes of Health to study how the legalization of recreational cannabis affects cannabis use during pregnancy, birth outcomes, and health outcomes among mothers and children. She also chairs the Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities Working Group on Gender Equity, which is launching an international mentoring program for junior women faculty later this month.
We spoke with Hawkins about her research, her mentorship, and her new role leading the Global Public Health program.
Congratulations on your new role as director of the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good. You helped build the program before stepping into the director role. What do you see differently now than you did before?
I had a full-circle moment this summer when I taught our introductory public health course, Public Health in a Global Society, in Rome to 14 Boston College students. I first taught that same class in fall 2014, when we offered it to undergraduate students for the first time. In this new role, I’m thinking about our students’ experience first and foremost, but also about how we can incorporate innovative teaching and highlight the incredible work our faculty are doing.
Your work combines epidemiology with econometric methods to isolate what policies actually cause, rather than just describing disparities. I’m interested to hear what this approach lets you say that traditional public health research can’t?
My training is in social epidemiology, and I integrate methods from applied econometrics to evaluate natural experiments created through policy change. We’ve all heard the phrase “correlation does not equal causation.” Using quasi-experimental methods allows us to get closer to identifying the causal effects of policy changes on health outcomes.
Your recent study found that cannabis legalization is driving increases in use primarily among historically lower-consumption groups, rather than among people who already used. Why does that distinction matter for how policymakers think about legalization, and how do your new NIH awards build on it?
I’m really excited about the projects I’ve been working on with my colleagues, including two new NIH grants that build on this work. In studies published earlier this year, we found that groups historically less likely to use cannabis experienced greater increases in use following legalization. Public health professionals, policymakers, and clinicians need to be aware of how different groups change their behavior in response to policy changes. This can help inform surveillance, screening, and broader programs to increase awareness about cannabis across the population.
The two new projects we’re starting focus on the effects of recreational cannabis legalization on cannabis use during pregnancy, birth outcomes, and health outcomes among mothers and children. We’re linking survey data with policy information and, in some cases, health insurance claims to gain insight into the broader effects of legalization on health. We’re also examining whether changes in use are associated with legalization itself or with the opening of retail stores.
Mentoring is a big part of your work at BC and beyond. Can you tell us about your work with SACRU, and how you approach mentoring students and junior faculty?
I’m also the chair of the SACRU Working Group on Gender Equity in the University. Our aim is to support the advancement of women to higher ranks in academia. We’re currently developing an international mentoring program in which senior female faculty from eight SACRU institutions will mentor up to 64 junior faculty members over nine months. We’re launching the program in late October, and I’m really excited to bring everyone together to support individual growth as well as the broader goal to create institutional change.
Whether mentorship is at the undergraduate, graduate, or faculty level, it’s about building relationships and creating a sense of community to help people achieve their broader goals.
You are someone who wears many hats. How do you manage directing a program, chairing, and your ongoing research?
Sometimes I feel like I’m juggling directing the program, teaching, chairing SACRU, and leading research projects, but honestly, I love what I do. I’m able to be creative, work with colleagues to build incredible programming, and ask innovative questions. What’s better than that?