For a better experience, click the Compatibility Mode icon above to turn off Compatibility Mode, which is only for viewing older websites.

Suruchi Sood, PhD

Suruchi Sood

Associate Professor
Community Health and Prevention
267.359.6096
ss3724@drexel.edu
Download CV

Degrees

MA, Communication and Development Studies, Ohio University; PhD, Communication, University of New Mexico

Bio

Suruchi Sood, Ph.D. earned an MA in Communication and Development Studies from Ohio University and her Ph.D. in Intercultural Communication (with a Public Health minor) from the University of New Mexico. Currently, she is an Associate Professor, Department of Community Health and Prevention, School of Public Health at Drexel University. Between 2008 and 2011, she was an Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Science and Community Health, Arcadia University. Prior to this she was a Senior Program Evaluation Officer, Center for Communication Programs (CCP) and Assistant Professor, Department of Health, Behavior and Society, at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Sood’s research career has spanned areas inside and outside academics for 30 years, specifically around research processes associated with the design, implementation and evaluation of health communication efforts to promote behavior and social change. She has managed communication research within a variety of contexts – social media, mass media, interpersonal communication, community mobilization, social marketing and advocacy.

Her global portfolio includes managing capacity building and research projects in over 30 low and middle income countries covering five continents including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Nepal, Macedonia, Mozambique, Pakistan, Panama, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda and Uzbekistan.

Her research skills cover the range from advanced multivariate statistical modelling to community based participatory visual and narrative techniques. Dr. Sood uses mixed methods approaches to study cross-cutting public health issues including family planning, reproductive health, HIV, maternal and child health, adolescent health, WASH and immunization. Over the last decade, her efforts have focused on addressing social norms that underpin harmful traditional practices including violence against children, discrimination against children with disabilities, child marriage and female genital cutting.

Dr. Sood’s research has been widely published with over 100 journal articles, technical reports and conference papers.  At the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual conference in 2019, Dr. Sood was awarded the Public Health Education and Health Promotion (PHEHP) Section’s Everett M. Rogers award for outstanding achievement in the field.

Research Interests

  • Global health or International Health
  • Health Communication
  • Maternal and Child Health
  • Community Based Participatory Research
  • Community Engaged Research
  • Data Analysis Methods
  • Nutrition
  • Public Health Practice
  • Reproductive or Sexual Health
  • Violence and Trauma
  • Adolescent Health
  • Process Evaluation (Monitoring)
  • Program Evaluation

Publications

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

Cronin, C., Lapsansky, C., Obregon, R., Da Silva e Paula, C., Kilbane, T., Gordan, M., Kostizak, K., Stevens, S., and Sood S. (2020). The effectiveness of communication approaches for social and behavior change to address violence against children: Insights from a systematic review and ranking of randomized controlled trials. Submitted to Aggression and Violent Behavior.

Sood, S., Kostizak, K., Mertz, N., Stevens, S., Rodrigues, F., and Hauer. M. (2020) What Works to Address Violence Against Children (VAC) in and Around Schools. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 1524838021998309.

Sengupta, A., Sood, S., Kapil, N., & Sultana, T. (2020). Enabling Gender Norm Change through Communication. The Journal of Development Communication, 31(2), 34-45.

Stevens, S., Sood, S., Mertz, N., and Kostizak, K.(2020) Measuring Discriminatory Social Norms Against Children with Disabilities to Improve Communication-Based Programs. Revise and Resubmit to Frontiers in Communication.

Hauer, M. and Sood, S. (2020). Using Social Media to Communicate Sustainable Preventive Measures and Curtail Misinformation. Frontiers in Psychology, 11.

Sood, S., Ramaiya, A., Cronin, C., and Kostizak, K. (2020). Unpacking the relationship between a communication program, social norms, and menstrual health and hygiene management (MHM) among girls in India. Global Public Healt. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2020.1826048

Sood, S. et al. (2020) Measurement and Conceptualization of Attitudes and Social Norms Related to Discrimination against Children with Disabilities: A Systematic Review, International Journal of Disability, Development and Education DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2020.1786022

Sood, S., Kostizak, K., Cronin, C., Stevens, S., Jubero, M., Kilbane, T., & Obregon, R. (2020). ACT: An evidence-based macro framework to examine how communication approaches can change social norms around Female Genital Mutilation. Frontiers in Communication 5, 29.

Ramaiya, A., & Sood, S. (2020). What are the psychometric properties of a menstrual hygiene management scale: a community-based cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health 20, 1-11.

Ramaiya, A., Malhotra, A., Cronin, C., Stevens, S., Kostizak, K., Sharma, A., ... & Sood, S. (2019). How does a Social and Behavioral Change Communication Intervention Predict Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management: A Cross-Sectional Study? BMC Public Health 19(1), 1-12.

Ramaiya, A., & Sood, S. What is the relationship between menstruation-related restrictions and menstrual health and hygiene management? A mixed method, community-based, cross-sectional study in rural India. Waterlines 38(4), 268-285.

Henderson-Riley, A.,Sood, S., & Sani, M. (2019). Narrative Persuasion and Social Norms in Entertainment-Education: Results from a Radio Drama in Mozambique. Health Communication, 1-10.

Henderson Riley, A., Sood, S. and Robichaud, M. (2017). Participatory Methods for Entertainment-Education: Analysis of Best Practices. Journal of Creative Communication, 12 (1) 1-15.

Cronin, C., Sood, S.and Thomas, D. (2017). From innovation to transcreation: Adapting new digital technologies to address violence against children. Child Abuse Review.

Henderson Riley, A., Sood, S., Dasgupta Mazumdar, P., Choudary, N., and Malhotra, A. (2017) Encoded Exposure and Social Norms in Entertainment-Education. Journal of Health Communication, 22 (1) 66-74.

Sood, S. et al (2016). Looking Back and Planning Ahead: Examining Global Best Practices in Communication for Inactivated Polio Vaccination (IPV) Introduction in Rwanda. Global Health Communication, 1(1), 10-20.

Sood, S., Riley, A.H, Mazumdar, P.D, Choudary, N., Malhotra A. and Sahba, N. (2016). From Awareness-Generation to Changing Norms: Implications for Entertainment-Education. Cases in Public Health Communication & Marketing, 8, 3-26.

Book Chapters

  1. Riley, A H. Rodrigues, F. and Sood, S. (2021) Social Norms Theory and Measurement in Entertainment-Education:  Insights from Case Studies in Four Countries. In Frank, L. and Falzone, P. (Ed.)  Entertainment Education Behind the Scenes: Case Studies for Theory and Practice.
  2. Sood, S., Stevens, S., Kostizak, K., and Okumura, M. (2021) ‘ACT Framework’, in The ACT Framework Package: Measuring social norms around FGM, United Nations Children’s Fund, New York, N.Y. Available at: https://www.corecommitments.unicef.org/kbc/the-act-framework-package%3A-measuring-social-norms-around-female-genital-mutilation-
  3. Sood, S., Kostizak, K., Rodrigues. F. (2021) Social and Behaviour Change to Address Violence Against Children. Technical Guidance: Schools Edition. United Nations Children’s Fund, New York, N.Y. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/media/97721/file
  4. Sood, S., Kostizak, K. and Stevens S. (2020). Participatory Research Toolkit for Social Norms Measurement, United Nations Children’s Fund, New York, N.Y. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/documents/participatory-research-toolkit-social-norms-measurement
  5. Sood, S. et al. (2019). Technical Guidance for Communication for Development Programmes Addressing Violence Against Children, UNICEF, New York, 2019. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/media/73491/file/C4D-VAC-Technical-Guidance-2019.pdf.pdf
  6. Sood, S. and Cronin. C. (2019, August) Communication for Development Approaches to Address Violence Against Children: A Systematic Review, UNICEF, New York, 2019. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/cbsc/files/C4D_VAC_Systematic_Review_Report.pdf
  7. Sood, S. et al., (2019, August) Technical Guidance for Communication for Development Programmes Addressing Violence Against Children. UNICEF, New York, 2019. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/cbsc/files/C4D_VAC_Technical_Guidance.pdf
  8. Sood, S., Cronin. C. and Kostizak, K. (2018, November). Participatory Research Toolkit. Available at: http://www.rainbarrelcommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Participatory-Research-Toolkit-Rain-Barrel-Communications.pdf
  9. NR Management Consultants India (2018). End line Evaluation of GARIMA Project in Uttar Pradesh (2013-2016). Available at https://www.unicef.org/evaldatabase/index_103312.html
  10. Cronin, C. and Sood, S. (2018). International Health Communication. In Parvanta et al (eds). Essentials of Public Health Communication.
  11. Sood, S., Riley, A. H., & Alarcon, K. (2017). Entertainment-education and health and risk messaging, In R. Parrott (Ed.), Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication, Oxford University Press.