Dr. Tyriesa L. Howard is an assistant professor in the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. Her research focuses on socio-behavioral interventions to eradicate sexual, reproductive, and maternal health disparities that disproportionately impact Black women and adolescent girls living in the US. She is the director of the Fathers First Initiative at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, which is a behavioral health intervention aimed to increase paternal involvement in NICU healthcare systems to improve mental health and well-being outcomes NICU families. Through support from the Society of Family Planning, Dr. Howard will design a mixed-methods research study aimed to reclaim bodily autonomy for adolescents and young adults post the Dobbs Decision. This work will examine adolescents’, particularly for racial minority groups, knowledge of abortion and contraceptive policies, attitudes around contraceptive use, and engagement in behaviors related to abortion and contraception access. Findings will be used to inform the development of an equitable and just best practice framework for policy advocacy concerning abortion and contraception access for minors. Dr. Howard received her bachelor’s degree from Mississippi Valley State University, master’s in social work from the University of Southern Mississippi, master’s in public health from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and doctor degree from Howard University. Prior to joining the faculty at WashU, she completed postdoctoral training at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.