Faculty Directory

Summer Sherburne Hawkins

Professor

Associate Director of the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good

Assistant Director of the Center for Child and Family Policy

Profile

Professor Summer Sherburne Hawkins, PhD, MS, joined the °¬¿ÉÖ±²¥ College School of Social Work (BCSSW) °¬¿ÉÖ±²¥in 2012. She is a social epidemiologist with an interest in addressing policy-relevant research questions in women’s and children’s health. Her research examines the impact of policies on health disparities in parents and children, particularly using methodology that integrates epidemiology and economics. She uses applied econometric techniques to evaluate natural experiments created through policy changes within and between US states, including substance use policies, reproductive health-related policies, breastfeeding policies, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Professor Hawkins has published in prominent peer-reviewed public health journals on the topics of tobacco and cannabis use, maternal morbidity and mortality, infant feeding practices, and preventive health services as well as the impact of state policies on disparities in these health behaviors and outcomes.

Professor Hawkins is the Associate Director for the Global Public Health and the Common Good program and the Assistant Director of the Center for Child and Family Policy at °¬¿ÉÖ±²¥ College. She is also the co-chair of the SACRU on Gender Equity in the UniversityÌýand an Associate Editor for theÌýJournal of Epidemiology & Community Health. Prior to joining BCSSW, Professor Hawkins was a Cohort 7 Robert Wood Johnson Health & Society Scholar at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health from 2009-2011.

Select Publications

Hawkins SS, Baidoo CE, Coley RL, Centanni RS, Baum CF. The impact of recreational cannabis legalization on cannabis use in US adults from 2016-2023: A quasi-experimental study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine (in press).

Hawkins SS, Baum CF. Associations between local cigarette and e-cigarette prices and smoke-free legislation with prenatal smoking and birth outcomes. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 2025;274:112777. PMID: 40652608

Holland E, Joseph NT, Salas-Wright CP, Hacker MR, Hawkins SS. Racial and ethnic differences in self-reported substance use and screening during prenatal care. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology Maternal Fetal Medicine 2025;7(5):101660. PMID: 40032180

Hawkins SS, Carey N, Coley RL, Baum CF. Associations between tobacco 21 and flavor restrictions with young adult tobacco use. Tobacco Control 2025;34(5):571-578. PMID: 38527790 PMCID: PMC11693773

Hawkins SS, Harper S, Baum CF, Kaufman JS. Associations between state-level changes in reproductive health services and indicators of severe maternal morbidity. JAMA Pediatrics 2023;177(1):93-95. PMID: 36374506 PMCID: PMC9664365

Hawkins SS, Baum CF. Invited commentary: Evaluating intersectionality of policies and populations. Pediatrics 2021;147(5):E2020049586. PMID: 33875538.

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Select Grants

09/2025-05/2028 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD117959) – titled, State differences in the effects of policy change on maternal healthÌý
Role: Co-I (PI: Joanna Venator)

07/2024-06/2025 Office of the Vice Provost for Research RADS (Research Across Departments & Schools) grant – titled, Prenatal substance use laws and recreational cannabis legalization: A mixed methods study of their effects on women and health care providers
Role: PI

06/2024-12/2025 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) Health Data for Action (HD4A) program – titled, Impacts of abortion restrictions on fertility and maternal morbidity outcomesRole: Co-I (PI: Joanna Venator)

09/2021-08/2023 National Cancer Institute & FDA Center for Tobacco Products (R21CA268199) – titled, Impact analysis of flavor restrictions and tobacco 21 policies on youth tobacco use
Role: PI

Select Appointments & Awards

Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Global Health & Social Medicine, King’s College London, England (09/18-08/19)

K99/R00 recipient – National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 5-year career development award (R00HD068506) (2011-2016)

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