Rebecca Gourevitch, PhD, University of Maryland, College Park

Access to early, comprehensive, and high-quality prenatal care improves maternal and child health. In the wake of abortion bans, decreased access to reproductive health care and legal complexities around miscarriage management could create challenges to accessing prenatal care. This could disproportionately affect populations of pregnant people whose access to care is already constrained by multiple ...Read more >

Nansi Boghossian, PhD, MPH, University of South Carolina

In June 2022, the US Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned nearly 50 years of federal abortion protections established by Roe v Wade, prompting many states to impose strict abortion restrictions, including total bans. Research on how these restrictions affect maternal and infant outcomes is limited. This project aims to: ...Read more >

Alice Abernathy, MD, MSHP, University of Pennsylvania

Family planning clinics, including those that provide abortion, are the backbone of sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing in the US. Rates of STIs are rising nationally, with long term health consequences like pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility for individuals who go untreated. Abortion care provision in the US has shifted preceding, and after, the Dobbs ...Read more >

Luciana Hebert, PhD, Washington State University

Advanced practice clinicians, eg, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and physician assistants, are a critical component of the abortion provider infrastructure in the US. While provision of abortion by advanced practice clinicians is commonplace in the US, the scientific literature is less robust in this area and particularly sparse regarding medication abortion provision, which now ...Read more >

Sarah Averbach, MD, MAS, University of California, San Diego

Abortion restrictions result in increased geographic and cost-related barriers to abortion care, and higher odds of remaining pregnant with an undesired pregnancy, further perpetuating health inequities. Novel models of community-based abortion care delivery are urgently needed. Guidelines support medication abortion provision by advance practice clinicians (APCs) including nurse practitioners (NPs), certified nurse midwives (CNMs) and ...Read more >

Samantha Auerbach, PhD, University of California, San Francisco

Advanced practice clinicians (APC), a term encompassing nurse practitioners (NP), certified nurse midwives (CNM), and physician assistants/associates, are a critical source of medication abortion provision in the US. APCs have been providing medication abortion care since mifepristone became available in the US in 2000, however there is a surprising lack of research evidence about safety ...Read more >

Molly Altman, PhD, CNM, MPH, University of Hawai'i School of Nursing

Advanced practice clinicians (APCs), including nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, play a key role in access to medication abortion throughout the US. However, data describing the safety and efficacy of medication abortion provision by APCs is limited. We have established a unique partnership between the University of Hawai’i, the Queen’s Medical Center, Planned ...Read more >

Carina Zelaya, PhD, MA, University of Maryland, College Park

I am a communication scholar dedicated to improving health communication within minority communities. My professional journey has centered on intimate health communication, examining how information about sex, sexuality, contraception, and reproductive health circulates within social networks. My work has been recognized for its innovative integration of communication sciences and sexuality education, significantly advancing our understanding ...Read more >

Martha Silva Acuna, PhD, MPH, Tulane University

I am a mixed-race, female-identifying Mexican researcher with over a decade of experience in international abortion research. My educational journey began with an MPH and PhD in International Health and Development from Tulane University. Over the years, I have lived and worked in nine countries, bringing a unique global perspective to my research. My career ...Read more >

Sameera Nayak, PhD, MA, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Dr. Sameera S. Nayak (she/hers) is an Assistant Professor of Public Health at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Her research sits at the intersection of migration, gender, and justice, and is informed by her lived experience as a South Asian immigrant to the US. The Changemakers in Family Planning grant will facilitate her ...Read more >