Julianna Nemeth, PhD, MA

Associate Professor
Health Behavior and Health Promotion

Email
nemeth.37@osu.edu
Phone
614-247-7142
Office
308 Cunz Hall, 1841 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH, 43210
Links
Julianna Nemeth

Biography

I am an intervention scientist dedicated to conducting the scientific work needed to improve health and reduce disparities for those impacted by violence and trauma. In the United States, one in four women will experience sexual and/or domestic violence and more than one million youth are homeless. An interconnected web of comorbid conditions are concentrated within these populations, including undiagnosed head injury, disability from mental health, alcohol, tobacco, and other substance use and exposure to past and ongoing violence.

My work focuses on building and optimizing service access and behavioral interventions for these populations, recognizing the chaotic circumstances in which they live and are trying to seek safety and health services. Informed by nearly two decades of community work in violence prevention and crisis response, and trained as a feminist theorist, I bring gender, culture, justice and community practice lenses to the promotion of health equity.

I am the co-founder of the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence, a 501(c)3 organization recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Office on Violence Against Women as Ohio’s coalition addressing sexual violence response and its prevention. I received a NIH K07 Career Development Grant (2017-2022). In addition, I served as an evaluator on an Office of Victims of Crime funded demonstration grant (2016-2019) awarded to the Ohio Domestic Violence Network; this work focused on the creation, implementation and evaluation of the C.A.R.E. model, designed to increase advocacy organizations’ capacity to better meet the complex and often interconnected health concerns of domestic violence survivors — including brain injury, mental health, trauma and substance use. I also am currently working to found the Brain Injury from Violence CARE Alliance, a university-community partnership to raise awareness and provider practices regarding the need for brain injury-aware, trauma informed care.

Education

Postdoctoral Researcher
Tobacco Control, Ohio State University, 2016-2017
Ph.D.
Health Behavior and Health Promotion, Ohio State University, 2015
Predoctoral Fellow
Behavioral Oncology, Mary Margaret Walther Foundation, Behavioral Cooperative Oncology Group Center for Symptom Management, 2013-2015
M.A.
Women’s Studies, Ohio State University, 2001
B.A.
Religion (major), Sociology (minor), Wittenberg University, 1998

Research interests

Health Equity, Systems Implementation of Brain Injury Aware Trauma Informed Care, Vulnerable, Traumatized Populations (Sexual and Domestic Violence Survivors, Homeless Youth), Tobacco Control and Cessation, Intersection of Violence Exposure, Mental Health, Brain Injury and Substance Use, Community-Engaged Evaluation and Research

Awards and honors

  • Brain Injury ISIG Deborah Lee Price Girls and Women with ABI Taskforce Poster Award. Duhaney S, Nemeth J. Understanding the Needs of Community Health Centers in Addressing and Accommodating Patients Living with Brain Injury from Domestic Violence.  Poster presented at: American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine 100th Annual Conference; October 31, 2023; Atlanta, GA.
  • Outstanding New Student Organization Award, Student Advocates for Sexual Health Awareness (SASHA) Office of Student Life Leadership Awards, Faculty Advisor, The Ohio State University, 2019
  • Murray Straus Interpersonal Violence Original Research Award, Co-Recipient with Rachel Ramirez, Community-based Participatory Action Research Partner; National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence Across the Lifespan (NPEIV), 24th International Summit on Violence, Abuse & Trauma, San Diego, CA, 2019
  • Delta Omega, Member, Ohio State University Alpha Epsilon Chapter, Inducted 2015
  • Phi Kappa Phi, Member, Ohio State University Chapter, Inducted 2010
  • Board of Trustees Student Recognition Award, Recipient, Ohio State University, 2015
  • Phi Beta Kappa, Member, Wittenberg University Chapter, Inducted 1998

Additional background

Opinion Editorials

  1. Ramirez R, Montgomery L, Nemeth JM. Opinion: This group has a shocking concussion rate. It’s not football players.  The Washington Post, Online, 10/31/2022.
  2. Monahan K, Kozlowski D, Crabtree-Nelson S, Valera E, Ramirez R, Nemeth JM, Lifshitz J, Handmaker H. Lawler K. Everyone knows a Gabby Petito. News Day Opinion Commentary, Online, 11/22/2021. 

Podcasts and Recordings

  1. Breakthroughs in Trauma Treatment. This is Ohio State Podcast, Online, 3/6/24.
  2. Nemeth JM. Domestic Violence and Brain Injuries – Helping DV Advocates Best Reach Survivors. Making Headway Podcast, Online, 7/11/2021.
  3. Nemeth JM. Discovery through Symbiotic Community-Research Partnerships: Both are required to see. Lecture presented at: The Ohio State University, 2021 Research & Innovation Showcase. Presentation recorded by WOSU studios, Columbus, OH, 4/15/2021.   
  4. Study: Brain injury common in domestic violence. Ohio State News, Online and YouTube, 7/1/2019.   

Selected Television and Radio Segments

  1. The Head Trauma Crisis Among Domestic Violence Survivors. New York Public Radio, On air and online, 3/22/2023.   
  2. Nemeth JM, Ramirez R. Interview with NBC4, Daytime Columbus’s Robyn Haines; A focus on the why’s, how’s and treatments of TBI during Brain Injury Awareness Month.  Interview on-air, 3/17/2023.
  3. Padamsee TJ, Nemeth JM. Interview with News 5 Cleveland’s Remi Murray; New research shows Cleveland neighborhood has been one of the hardest hit due to COVID-19. Interview via Zoom, 2/15/2023.
  4. An 'invisible epidemic': Survivors of domestic violence on living with traumatic brain injury. NPR On Point, On air and online, 1/20/2022.
  5. Ohio Study Finds Domestic Violence Linked To Undiagnosed Brain Injuries. WOSU Public Media, In print and radio, 7/1/2019. 

Selected Media Mentions

  1. Toolkit Helps Recognize Signs of Brain Injury in Domestic-Violence Survivors. Public News Service, Online, 4/18/2023.
  2. Making brain injury a priority in domestic violence support. Neuro Rehab Times, Online, 4/25/2022.
  3. New research-based tools to help Ohioans at higher COVID-19 risk. Newswise, Online, 10/13/2020.   
  4. Brain Injury Often a Devastating Side Effect of Domestic Violence. US News & World Reports, Online 7/10/2019. 

Selected Research Mentions

  1. Researcher Discusses brain injury and ‘shadow pandemic’ of intimate partner violence. University of Toronto News, Online, 02/01/2022.
  2. A Hidden Cost of Domestic Violence: How Big Is This Secret Epidemic? The Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting, Online, 4/21/2021.
  3. Finally, New Brain Injury Study Focuses on Survivors of DV.  https://Domesticshelters.org, Online, 11/9/20.
  4. Ohio Coalition Works to Address Brain Injury in DV Programs. Civic Research Institute. Domestic Violence Report, Vol 25, Number 3, Feb/March 2020, pp 58-63(6).
  5. Domestic Violence: Improved Data Needed to Identify the Prevalence of Brain Injuries among Victims GAO-20-534: Published: Jun 12, 2020. Publicly Released: 6/12/2020. US Government Accountability Office.
  6. Partner-Inflicted Brain Injury: Recognizing Invisible Injuries and Finding Hope for Healing. Futures Without Violence, Online, 3/19/20.
  7. Brain injury hidden risk for domestic violence victims. Criminal Justice Update (Ohio Attorney General), In print, 8/5/2019.
  8. Brain injury common in domestic violence. Neuroscience News, Online, 7/2/2019. 
Back to top