Emily F. Rothman

Dr. Emily F. Rothman is a public health scholar and social epidemiologist whose work focuses on media literacy, adolescent health, and violence prevention. Rothman is professor and chair of the Occupational Therapy Department at Boston University, with a secondary appointment at the BU School of Public Health. She earned a bachelor's degree in English from Wesleyan University and a doctorate in science from Harvard School of Public Health. Rothman began her professional career working in a domestic violence shelter, at a counseling program for men who perpetrated domestic violence, and volunteering for a sexual assault hotline in Vermont.

Rothman's public health research addresses the etiology and prevention of intimate partner and sexual violence, as well as firearm violence, human trafficking, and pornography. Her projects emphasize promoting health equity for marginalized populations, particularly sexual and gender minority individuals and Black, Indigenous, and other people of color. Rothman has secured more than $8.8 million in external research funding as a sole or multi-principal investigator, with grants from organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Defense, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Patient Centered Outcomes Institute, and Organization for Autism Research. She has published more than 155 peer-reviewed papers, with research appearing in journals including New England Journal of Medicine, Pediatrics, American Journal of Public Health, and JAMA Pediatrics.

Rothman is known for her work on pornography literacy. She co-designed and co-taught the first course on pornography at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and partnered with the Boston Public Health Commission to create a pornography literacy curriculum for teenagers. Her work in this area led to the book "Pornography and Public Health." The book provides an overview of pornography consumption, content trends, and controversies related to aggression, body image, problematic use, and the potential benefits of porn literacy.

Rothman founded and served as chair of the Violence and Trauma special interest group at the Society for Behavioral Medicine, authored a report on batterer intervention programs for the World Health Organization, and is an appointed member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council on Sexual and Domestic Violence. Her research and public engagement have been featured on the "Today" show on NBC, NPR, The New York Times Magazine, Wall Street Journal, CNN, and Teen Vogue. Rothman's TED Talk, "How porn changes the way teens think about sex," has received more than 3.65 million views. Through her research, writing, and public engagement, Rothman contributes to the fields of adolescent health, violence prevention, and media literacy.