News & Publications

PurpLE Health Foundation profiled in Politico Magazine: “For me, the work that I have been doing, nearly for the past decade or so, has really shined a light on all of the holes in which we’ve fallen, woefully short, in understanding this issue and the responsibility of the health care system and medicine in general to address it," Dr. Anita Ravi.

Dr. Ravi joins the program for its Wellness Wednesday series, talking "Doctor's visit weigh-ins."

Dr. Ravi was cited in this article that discusses "Why Some Doctors Let Patients Skip Weight Checks."

PurpLE CEO Dr. Ravi featured by the AMA for Women in Medicine Month. "So many people end up experiencing exploitation because of financial insecurity. And so, our work is finding a way to be able to support survivors, not just one visit at a time, but throughout their entire lifetime."

"We need to think differently about people we deem 'frequent flyers'," said Dr. Ravi...She said physicians need to be nonjudgmental and let people know that mental health, housing, legal and social services are available."

Dr. Anita Ravi and Keisha Walcott join The Dose's to discuss their former doctor-patient relationship, their belief that health, poverty, and trauma are interlinked, and why healthcare systems must be redesigned to address all three.

This podcast featuring our co-founder Dr. Ravi describes the PurpLE Health Foundation and why healthcare organizations must provide care that is trauma-informed and social determinants of health aware.

In this invited article for "Physician Family" Dr. Ravi reflects on the impact of sponsorship and mentorship for women physicians and how it led to her co-founding PHF.

"Even half a crayon can offer a calming, absorbing activity for children when their parents are speaking with attorneys in crowded trailers, recounting the violence that led them to seek safety in the United States. “These things give a degree of normalcy,” said Dr. Anita Ravi, a family physician in New York who specializes in sexual violence. “I think kids ache for that.”"

"In medical school … you learn that heart attacks kill people and what else kills people, but we're not taught … that humans kill people," Ravi says. "And I think in the situations that I'm facing, it's very often that the worst-case scenarios are not, 'Oh, she's going to go back to the ER, or hospitalization.' It's death, incarceration or deportation."

"When she originally conceived of the idea for her clinic, Anita was teaching health education groups on Rikers Island in the women's jail and discovered that many of the inmates there had also been victims of sex trafficking and sexual assault. “I was shocked because so many people who had this experience were incarcerated,” she remembers."

The PurpLE Health Foundation received $300,000 in support from the Claneil Foundation through their Emerging Leaders grant that supports the critical role that executive directors play in launching and growing early-stage organizations.

Congratulations to our CEO, Dr. Anita Ravi, for being selected to join the newest class of Presidential Leadership Scholars! The PLS program brings together bold and principled leaders who are committed to facing critical challenges around the world.

PurpLE CEO, Dr. Anita Ravi, receives the 2021 Prem S. Paul Award for research in anti-human trafficking.

PurpLE Health Foundation's CEO and Co-Founder, Dr. Anita Ravi is a finalist for the 2021 Echoing Green Fellowship!

We are thrilled to share that our CEO and Co-founder, Dr. Anita Ravi, MD, MPF, MSHP, FAAFP, was selected as one of the National Minority Quality Forum’s 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health! She is leading PHF in our efforts working toward health equity for all.

PurpLE was awarded a grant from PCDC - through support from the Wells Fargo Foundation Open for Business (OFB) program - to provide training and technical assistance to minority-owned and operated primary care practices to aid in their recovery from the pandemic’s impact.

The PurpLE Health Foundation is the recipient of a $1,000,000 grant from the NoVo Foundation to support systems-based solutions to commercial sexual exploitation. After receiving more than 400 letters of inquiry and consulting with a panel of survivor leaders, PurpLE Health Foundation was selected based on its targeted approach and its commitment to survivor engagement. 

Article co-authored by Dr. Ravi on the physical, mental, and socioeconomic health issues of people who have experienced human trafficking.

PurpLE's Care Navigator/Survivor Leader Keisha Walcott: "I want other survivors to know that they have a voice too. I want to help create a safe space for survivors, to help survivors find their voices and use them."

Letter to the Editor from Dr. Ravi highlights the importance of physicians recognizing a key symptom of trauma.

PHF co-founders Jessica Gorelick, Dr. Harika Pal, and Dr. Anita Ravi authored this publication to educate primary care physicians on identifying and addressing vicarious trauma.

PHF CEO and Co-Founder Dr. Anita Ravi, and PHF Founding Board Member Keisha Walcott are featured in the Commonwealth Fund's report, highlighting their PurpLE journeys and approach to healthcare delivery, as well as some of Dr. Ravi's cartoons on trauma-informed care and social determinants of health.

In this illustrated essay for the American Academy of Family Physicians, Dr. Ravi shares why practicing medicine in the midst of a pandemic and economic crisis makes understanding & addressing financial trauma essential work.

"For many sexual assault survivors whom Anita Ravi, MD, MPH, sees as a New York City–based family physician, the prospect of even basic medical care can be frightening. Some have put off Papanicolaou tests and mammograms for years or even decades. To help them, Ravi has adopted a trauma-informed approach that works to restore patients’ trust and give them a greater sense of control over their visit."

Sex-trafficked persons experience significant trauma while exploited, resulting in complex health issues and barriers to health care. Incorporating survivor perspectives is critical in optimizing health care delivery for this population.

"While sex trafficking in the USA is a significant medical and public health issue, there is sparse data on the healthcare needs of and access for this population. This study was designed to identify experiences of domestically sex-trafficked women regarding healthcare access, reproductive health, and infectious diseases while trafficked."