From day one, week one, wanted to use my skills as a social scientist to make sure that every survivor gets what he or she or they need after they've been harmed.

When I was an undergraduate, I had to do a community internship and I did my internship with a local rape crisis center.

and it was just such a life transformational experience for me.

To be with other people who cared about these issues and to learn how we could help sexual assaults survivors.

I do research on how we can make our legal system, our health care systems and our mental health care systems better for those who've been sexually victimized.

I think what I am probably most proud of is what we did here at MSU.

I've been very involved in the institution's efforts since the Nassar case to take a long, hard look at where we've been as an institution, what our failings have been, what our successes have been, and then how do we as an institution grow and heal and change.

So it was a horrible, horrible case.

And it was also a moment where I could take what I've learned through decades of research on how to create trauma informed services and bring it to my own home.

Although we had a good counseling program, good advocacy services, we had a lot of things that were here.

We didn't have that one all inclusive where do you go right after this happens?

We created the Sexual Assault Health Care program.

It's in the student services building.

It's on the second floor.

It is available to any MSU student, faculty or staff, and we will treat any adult in the tri county area.

It's a place they can come and they can get help immediately.

They can get crisis intervention.

They can get an exam to treat any injuries.

They can get whatever health care they need.

If they want to report to the police.

You can do that right there.

And a really safe, supportive environment.

And there's people there to help you.

I will never forget.

I interviewed a survivor once about her experience in one of these programs, and she said I felt like the healing started right then and there in that moment when I was at that center.

And I said, I want to bring that here to Michigan State.

It matters to me that what we do here is about taking our knowledge and to help improve our communities.

Its something that is near and dear to my heart.

It's part of my core values as a social scientist.

And it's important to me to be at an institution that is founded on that very principle.

Being a University Distinguished Professor means that my institution said, “Thank you, we appreciate you.

” it's that affirmation that what I'm doing matters and that I'm working with people who care about the same things that I care about.

And for me, that means everything.