Suruchi Sood

Suruchi Sood, PhD, is a Senior Scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Health, Behavior and Society. She is a leading expert in health communication and social and behavior change communication (SBCC), with extensive experience in global health programming for vulnerable populations.

Education:

• PhD, University of New Mexico, 1999
• MAIA, Ohio University, 1995
• BA, Jadavpur University, 1990

Dr. Sood’s research focuses on transforming harmful social norms through evidence-based communication strategies. Her work addresses critical global health issues such as female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage, vaccine hesitancy, sexual and reproductive health, and menstrual health management. She is renowned for developing the ACT framework for measuring social norms around FGM, funded by UNFPA-UNICEF. Her methodological approach integrates mixed and participatory methods, emphasizing community engagement, entertainment-education, and social media to drive sustainable behavior change.

Her recent publications (2023–2024) highlight trends in entertainment-education applications for climate change and health, linguistic diversity in public health communication, and innovative participatory tools like social network mapping for assessing social norms. These works reflect interdisciplinary engagement across public health, communication theory, behavioral science, and global development.

Scientific Awards:

• Best of UNICEF Research (BOUR) Award, 2022
• APHA Everett M. Rogers Award, 2019
• Department of Community Health and Prevention Advisor Award, 2016 & 2018
• Golden Apple Award for Teaching Excellence, 2015
• Nominated for Best of UNICEF Research on C4D for Violence against Children, 2015

Dr. Sood has secured and led major research grants from UNICEF, USAID, and UNFPA, including a $440,113 project on measuring FGM social norms change and a $277,816 baseline study in Uganda. She serves as Principal Investigator on all major projects, demonstrating strong leadership in research design, implementation, and evaluation. Her work includes formative research, communication strategy development, and monitoring and evaluation frameworks in countries like Sudan and Uganda.

She is actively involved in academic training and public health education, having taught courses in health literacy and communication. Her affiliation with the Bloomberg School of Public Health places her within a vibrant network of scholars advancing public health practice and policy globally.