Documenting and defining the US abortion clinician workforce
Abortion
Awarded 2025
Documenting the composition of clinicians providing abortion care
Diana Carvajal, MD, MPH
University of Wisconsin, Madison
$75,000

The need for well-trained abortion providers is greater than ever for all and dire for the most marginalized communities whose health outcomes worsen as abortion access further dwindles. Patients from such communities have better health outcomes when clinicians reflect them demographically. These clinicians, most often those underrepresented in medicine (URiM), BIPOC, and/or those in primary care, are disproportionately serving in neglected communities. Notably, URiM/BIPOC clinicians across medical disciplines and specialties face unique career obstacles due to systemic racism and oppression. Yet, little is known about the composition of the abortion provider workforce (e.g., specialty, discipline, race/ethnicity, gender beyond the binary, ability status), the unique barriers to training and provision experienced by some, or the volume of abortions provided across these important variables. To begin addressing these knowledge gaps, this study will employ a cross-sectional survey capturing U.S. provider-reported abortion volume across demographic and geographic variables, barriers to training and provision, and professional/career experiences. The sampling and data collection methods will offer a robust, inclusive sample of U.S. abortion providers and will supplement other data. To consider how SRH professionals in clinical care, public health and advocacy can advance policies to support a more expansive, representative abortion provider workforce, we must know who we are, what we do, and the specific barriers to provision and training we face. Strategies can subsequently target equitable distribution of training resources and health delivery for a diverse, population-reflective abortion provider workforce. Ultimately, the desired outcome is increased access to high-quality, patient-centered, just abortion for all.