Welcome to our page dedicated to a research study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Known as Jirkeena, Caafimaadkeena (Our Body, Our Health), the study focuses on sexual pain, sexual health, and decision-making for interventions (e.g., deinfibulation) in Somali women who experienced female genital cutting (also known as female circumcision) prior to migrating to Minnesota. The project was funded from July 2018 until June 2024.
The overall goal of the research is to gather information that medical and mental health professionals may use to provide culturally sensitive and empirically informed healthcare. In order to accomplish this goal, the team conducted 375 interviews and/or surveys. We recruited women from M Health Fairview Clinic - Smiley's, Community-University Health Care Center (CUHCC), a Somali health fair, and in the Twin Cities community.
Team Members
Our team consisted of University-based faculty and staff from the University of Minnesota, Boston University, and University of Massachusetts and community researchers from SoLaHmo.
University of Minnesota Community Engagement Specialists
- Munira Salad, MPH (2018 – 2022; Community Advisory Board member 2022 – 2024)
- Zahra Sheikh, BA (2021 – 2022; SoLaHmo member 2023 – 2024)
- Fathi Ahmed, BS (2022)
SoLaHmo Community Researchers
- Shannon Pergament, LICSW, MPH (2018 – 2024)
- Foos Afey, MSW (2018 – 2022; Community Advisory Board member 2022 – 2024)
- Intisar Hussein, LICSW (2018 – 2021; Community Advisory Board member 2022 – 2024)
University of Minnesota Faculty: Family Medicine and Community Health
- Bean Robinson, PhD, LP, LMFT, Principle Investigator (2018 – 2024)
- Jennifer Connor, PhD, LMFT, Co-Principle Investigator (2018 – 2024)
- Nicole Chaisson, MD (2018-2024)
- Sonya Brady, PhD, LP (2018 – 2024)
- Michael Miner, PhD, LP (2018 – 2022)
University of Minnesota Faculty: Sociology
- Cawo Abdi, PhD (2018 – 2024)
University of Massachusetts: Chan Medical School
- Crista Johnson Agbakwu, MD (2018 – 2024)
Boston University: School of Public Health
- Bernie Harlow, PhD (2018 – 2024)
University of Minnesota Staff
- Amy Ash, BS, study coordinator (2018 – 2024)
- Muzi Chen, PhD, data manager and analyst (2019 – 2022)
- Kalthum Abdikeir, MPH, RN, research assistant (2021 – 2022)
- Yiting Li, PhD, data manager and analyst (2022 – 2023)
- Zamzam Dini, MA, LAMFT, research assistant (2023)
Community Advisory Board
- Nimo Abdi, DNO, FNP-C, Nurse Practitioner
- Miski Abdulle, Director of Immigrant Services, Pillsbury United Communities
- Sadiya Hassan, RN, Hennepin County Medical Center
- Salma Hussein, MSW, LICSW, Elementary School Principal
- Mahmud Kanyare, Executive Director and Co-founder, Youth & Family Circle
- Safi Khalif, Director and Founder, YIELD (Youth Innovation Empowerment Leadership Development)
- Hibak Roble, MSW, Mental Health Therapist
- Nimo Said, MA, Allina Health
- Hiba Sharif, DNP, APRN, CNM, M Health Fairview Birthplace
- Fardoza Yusuf, RN, M Health Southdale
Contracted Artists
- Anisa Hagi-Mohamed
- Ashley Finch
- Robert Kirby
Volunteers
(Many volunteers were students; the degrees below are the degrees they had at the time of volunteer work.)
- Jacinta Anyanwu, BA, 2019
- Sadiya Hassan, BSN, 2019
- Hibak Roble, BSW, 2019
- Jae Creger, BA, 2022 – 2023
- Kyra Kaczmarczik, BS, 2022-2023
- Emma Weisner, BS, 2023
- Shreya Chanda, BS, 2024
Contracted Translator
- Lucky Omar, MA
CAB Members
In this section you will find educational materials that our team created based on what we learned after talking to women in the Minnesota Somali community. This information is free. This information should not be sold.
Resources include information about sexual health and sexual pain.
Get in touch with us to request any of the following: Somali resources, English resources, the newsletter in English, and the newsletter in Somali.
This page includes educational materials that our team created based on what we learned after talking to women in the Minnesota Somali community. The intended audience includes healthcare providers, educators, and/or students. This information is free. This information should not be sold.
Based on the findings from our qualitative interviews, we identified a need to create deinfibulation decision-making aids. These aids can be used during the course of a healthcare visit or at home. They are designed to (1) identify symptoms associated with infibulation (Type 3), (2) identify and educate about other possible interventions, (3) assess goals of deinfibulation, (4) assess concerns about deinfibulation, (5) assess whether or not others are involved in the decision (e.g., husband), (6) indicate need for more information, and (7) indicate wishes about timing. There are six versions.
- For providers (2 versions) – includes several possible questions, but provider should use best discretion about which questions are relevant. One version is for pregnant women and the other is for women who are not pregnant.
- For community members/patients (4 versions) – these are shorter versions and designed to help the patient determine what she may want to consider and discuss with her provider. One version is for pregnant women and the other is for women who are not pregnant. Each are available in Somali and English.
Request the decision-making aids.
Educational resources about sexual pain interventions in Somali and English
Our team also created watercolors depicting FGC types for research and educational (classroom and/or patient education) purposes. These watercolors include FGC types 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 2c, 3, 3a (with gloved hand), 3b. You can find the abstract at this pubmed (free) link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37721173/
Educational Websites Created by Other Teams
(Last reviewed 5/31/24)
Deinfibulation: a visual reference and learning tool by Jasmine Abdulcadir, MD
Videos for patient education and counseling by GAMS. Available in nine languages: Afar, Amharic, Arabic, Dutch, English, French, Fula, Somali, and Tigrinya.
Healthcare Provider Toolkit by BRYCS
World Health Organization. (2018). Care of girls and women living with female genital mutilation: a clinical handbook. World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/272429. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
A Visual Reference and Learning Tool by Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center, Arizona State University
Published Manuscripts:
Creger, J., Abdikeir, K., Kaczmsrczik, K., Chaisson, N., Johnson-Agbakwu, C. E., Robinson, B. B. E., & Connor, J. J. (online first, 2024). The need for standardized nomenclature in documentation of female genital cutting in health records. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-024-01595-5
Connor, J. J., Abdikeir, K., Chaisson, N., Brady, S., Chen, M., Abdi, C., Salad, M., Johnson-Agbakwu, C. E., Hussein, I., Afey, F., Pergament, S., & Robinson, B. B. E. (in press, 2024). Discerning Deinfibulation: Impact of personal, professional, and familial influences on decision-making. Qualitative Health Research. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323241257094
Connor, J. J., Abdi, C., Chen, M., Salad, M., Pergament, S., Afey, F., Hussein, I., & Robinson, B. B. E. (online first, 2023). Our Body Our Health (Jirkeena, Caafimaadkeena): Somali women’s narratives on sexual health. Journal of Sex Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2023.2288077
Dini, Z., Abdi, C., Robinson, B. B. E., & Connor, J. J. (2024). Cultural Norm Transmission/Disruption amongst Somali Refugee Women: The Beauty and Privilege of Intergenerational Relationships. Social Sciences, 13(8), 432.
https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13080432
Johnson-Agbakwu, C. E., Chen, M., Salad, M., Chaisson, N., Connor, J. J., & Robinson, B. B. E. (2023). Female Genital cutting type: Proposing a multifaceted, interactive method for increasing accuracy of self-assessment. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 20(11), 1292-1300. https://doi.org/10.1093/jsxmed/qdad101
Chaisson, N., Johnson-Agbakwu, C. E., Finch, A., Salad, M., Connor, J. J., Chen, M., & Robinson, B. B. E. (2023). Beautiful vulvas: Expanding illustrative visual imagery of Female Genital Cutting (FGC) types. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 20(11), 1301-1311. https://doi.org/10.1093/jsxmed/qdad102
Connor, J. J., Brady, S. S., Chaisson, N., Mohamed, F. S., & Robinson, B. B. E. (2021). Response to commentaries: Understanding women’s responses to sexual pain after female genital cutting. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 50(5), 1907-1912. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02047-z
Connor, J. J., Brady, S .S., Chaisson, N., Mohamed F. S., & Robinson, B. B. E. (2021). Understanding women’s responses to sexual pain after female genital cutting: An integrative psychological pain response model. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 50(5), 1859-1869. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-019-1422-9
Brady, S. S., Connor, J. J., Chaisson, N., Mohamed, F. S., & Robinson, B. B. E. (2021). Response to commentaries: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to female genital cutting and deinfibulation. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 50(5), 1963-1971. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02067-9
Brady, S. S., Connor, J. J., Chaisson, N., Mohamed, F. S., & Robinson, B. B. E. (2021). Female genital cutting and deinfibulation: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to research and practice. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 50(5), 1913-1927. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-019-1427-4
Presentations:
Robinson, B.E., Connor, J.J., Johnson-Agbakwu, C. E., Chaisson, N., Salad, M., Chen, M., Brady, S., & Miner, M. H. (2023, November). Beautiful vulvas: Proposing a multifaceted, interactive method for female genital cutting self-assessment. Oral Presentation during the 26th Congress of the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS 2023) to be held in Antalya, Turkey, from 2-5 November 2023.
Connor, J.J., Abdikeir, K., Abdi, C., Chen, M., Hussein, I., Pergament, S. Salad, M., & Robinson, B.E. (2023, November). Uplifting Minnesota Somali women’s voices about deinfibulation: Views, experiences, and recommendations. Oral Presentation during the 26th Congress of the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS 2023) to be held in Antalya, Turkey, from 2-5 November 2023.
Connor, J.J., Abdikeir, K., Abdi, C., Chen, M., Hussein, I., Pergament, S., Salad, M., & Robinson, B. (2023, March 7). Uplifting Minnesota Somali women’s voices about deinfibulation: Views, experiences, and recommendations. Invited presentation at ISGH Faculty Research presentation, Minneapolis, MN.
Salad, M., Chen, M., Connor, J., & Robinson, B. (2020, September). Dismantling misconceptions about conducting sexuality research in the Somali-American community. Online webinar at PHS Faculty Research Presentation, Minneapolis, MN.
Connor, J., Salad, M., Chen, M., Abdi, C., Afey, F., Hussein, I., Pergament, S., & Robinson, B. (2021, November 18-21). Spouse support for Somali women who have experienced female genital cutting & sexual pain. 2021 Annual Conference of The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Connor, J. J., Salad, M., Chen, M., Roble, H., Hussein, I., & Robinson, B. E. (2020, July). Dismantling misconceptions about conducting sexuality research in the Somali-American community. Presentation at the International Academy of Sex Research, Virtual International Conference.
Robinson, B., & Connor, J. (2019, March). Sexuality, HIV Prevention & Female Genital Cutting: Perspectives from Somali Women Living in the U.S.A. Department of Family Medicine and Community Health Faculty Research Presentation, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota.