Mellissa Withers, PhD, MHS

About

Mellissa Withers, Ph.D., M.H.S, is Professor (Clinical) of Population and Public Health Sciences at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. She earned a Ph.D. in Community Health Sciences from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, a Master’s in International Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a B.A. in International Development from UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on mental health, sexual and reproductive health, and violence against women, including human trafficking. She is on the board of Global Hope 365, an organization working to end human trafficking and other forms of gender-based violence.

Recent Posts

Protecting Human Trafficking Victims Through T Visas

A Personal Perspective: Why new restrictions could impede the ability to hold traffickers accountable.

Innovative Alternative Approaches to Healing Trauma

Somatic therapies can be effective in trauma recovery, including trauma-informed yoga, mindfulness, and therapeutic gardening.

Understanding the Mindset of a Human Trafficking Victim

There are many complex psychological and physical underpinnings for why a victim cannot, or will not, leave a trafficking situation.

Sex Traffickers: The Hidden Role of Women

Although sex trafficking is traditionally seen as a male-perpetrated offense, female traffickers may be more common than male traffickers.

Identifying Human Trafficking Victims in Healthcare Settings

About half of trafficking victims in the U.S. who are seen by healthcare professionals while being trafficked are not identified.

Child Marriage Links to Climate Change

Every day, 39,000 girls become child brides, totaling more than 14 million child brides around the world each year, and climate change is exacerbating the issue.

Criminalize vs. Decriminalize Sex Work: The Debate Continues

The complexities inherent to sex work and prostitution make the debate over how to legislate them, or whether to do so at all, a difficult one to resolve.

Using the Power of Technology to Fight Online Human Trafficking

Although recent years have seen an increase in online crimes against children, powerful technology can help us in the ongoing struggle against it.

It's More Than Just Fight or Flight

More than just fight and flight, the freeze and fawn stress responses manifest in human trafficking survivors as well.

Not All Trauma Is the Same

January 11 is Human Trafficking Awareness Day, designed to raise awareness about the fact that human trafficking exists and affects people in the U.S. and around the world.