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Maggie L. Schmitt, MPH

Former Associate Director, GATE Program at Columbia University

About me

Maggie Schmitt was the Associate Director for the GATE Program at the time of the Menstruation in a Global Context course launch. Ms. Schmitt was at Columbia University since 2009, working on a range of menstrual health and hygiene (MHH), Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), adolescent health and health systems strengthening research programs in low-income and humanitarian settings. Since 2015, she’s worked on menstruation issues in humanitarian emergencies, including on a range of research and capacity development initiatives, in collaboration with the International Rescue Committee. This includes publishing two practitioner-focused resources for integrating menstruation into humanitarian programming: The MHM in Emergencies Toolkit and The Compendium on Menstrual Disposal, Waste Management and Laundering in Emergencies.

Ms. Schmitt supported a series of USA-based research projects, including on the puberty and menstruation experiences of low-income American adolescent girls, the emergence of menstrual equity policies, and the impact of COVID-19 on menstrual product insecurity. In addition, research conducted with American adolescent girls has been utilized to support the creation of a new puberty education book, entitled A Girls’ Guide to Puberty and Periods. Ms. Schmitt received her MPH from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Department of Population and Family Health, with a concentration in Forced Migration and Health.