CEW+ applauds Elizabeth’s efforts to end sexual violence and names her a Menakka and Essell Bailey Graduate Fellow.

Elizabeth Metzger is a PhD candidate in epidemiology at UM-Ann Arbor. Her research interests include injury prevention with a focus on sexual violence. Her dissertation may seek to understand specific social norms and cultural contexts that influence sexual violence and bystander intervention in Southeast Asia. Elizabeth writes, “Social norms (including the acceptance of gender roles, hypermasculine cultures, and views of women and dating) greatly affect the acceptance of sexual violence and bystanders’ willingness to intervene. Perpetrators of sexual violence are more likely to overestimate their peers’ acceptance of sexual violence, and bystanders are less likely to intervene when witnessing sexual violence if they think that others are accepting of it.” Elizabeth’s findings may inform future sexual violence prevention programming. The Menakka and Essell Bailey Graduate Fellowship supported Elizabeth’s travel to Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines, and South Korea in summer 2024.

Before she came to U-M, Elizabeth traveled the world, visiting ten different countries over the course of a decade and gaining extensive experience in the prevention of sexual violence. She worked with the Global Medical Brigades, offering medical services in rural Panama and Ghana. Elizabeth also worked as a project manager for The Geneva Foundation, where she oversaw research on the social norms and attitudes toward women at a large US military installation. From this project, Elizabeth published data in peer-reviewed journals. She also won grant money for assessing the prevalence of hazing at a US military installation, which she has published in conference settings. Additionally, Elizabeth worked as an intern at Albemarle Hopeline, a local domestic violence shelter in rural northeast North Carolina, where she created a program for men to advocate against sexual violence and become examples for youth. She also created a fundraiser for sexual violence prevention programming that has successfully continued annually.

CEW+ applauds Elizabeth’s efforts to end sexual violence and names her a Menakka and Essell Bailey Graduate Fellow.