Maggie L. Schmitt

Maggie Schmitt is the Associate Director for the GATE Program. Ms. Schmitt has been 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 supports 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.