In Haiti, 33% of women who desire to space or prevent pregnancy are not yet using modern contraceptive methods. This gap between those who desire to plan their pregnancies and those using contraceptives is the highest in the western hemisphere. Unmet need for contraception results in unintended pregnancies that can have dangerous outcomes for mothers ...Read more >

This project will use community-based participatory research (CBPR) to engage community-based abortion providers who provide abortions outside of the formal healthcare system as equal research partners in exploring outcomes and best practices related to their provision of out-of-clinic abortion care. Our aims include: 1) Investigate and engage in participatory action related to the following aspects ...Read more >

Does access to high quality family planning positively affect the life course of women and their families? We plan to address this question – one which is crucial to policy arguments worldwide, but which has rarely been studied with adequate data on the life course outcomes of the women family planning programs are intended to ...Read more >

Objective: To compare two methods of delivering contraceptive counseling to pregnant women upon hospital admission for delivery in Colombia. Methods: This study is a multi-center randomized, controlled trial nested in a prospective cohort study which is studying long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) uptake after contraceptive counseling and immediate provision. Women admitted to either of two urban, ...Read more >

Screening women of reproductive age for pregnancy intention as a routine part of primary care has been recommended by professional organizations as a way to reduce the unintended pregnancy rate and improve birth outcomes through a prevention-oriented approach. However, increasing attention to reproductive justice, cultural relevance, and patient-centered outcomes has raised questions about the effectiveness ...Read more >

Objectives: Homeless youth demonstrate high pregnancy rates; such pregnancies are linked to myriad adverse health and life outcomes. Many homeless youth exhibit pregnancy-ambivalent attitudes, yet few research efforts have sought to understand potential influences on such attitude formation that may be found in youths’ complex social networks and surrounding social norms. There is also a ...Read more >

I am seeking a Mid-Career Award in order to continue to mentor a multidisciplinary group of trainees interested in the provision of family planning services. My ultimate goal is to improve birth outcomes by nurturing a team of investigators who are committed to implementing interventions to ensure effective use of contraception by women whose medical ...Read more >

Background: In 2001, Tunisia became the first country in the Arab world to register a dedicated emergency contraceptive pill (ECP). Over the last decade, emergency contraception (EC) has been integrated into both the public and private health sectors and into national service delivery guidelines. In 2005, ECPs were made available, without a prescription, directly from ...Read more >

Introduction: Sayana Press, a subcutaneous formulation of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) prefilled in a Uniject syringe, could potentially improve and expand contraceptive injection services, but acceptability of Sayana Press is unknown. HIV-positive women have a particular need for family planning to avoid unintended pregnancy and risk of vertical transmission. We assessed acceptability of Sayana Press ...Read more >

Persistently high rates of unintended pregnancy in the US suggest a need for new patient-centered approaches to contraceptive acceptability and promotion. A critically understudied aspect of contraceptives are their sexual acceptability, or how methods influence women’s sexual experiences, which can in turn influence family planning clients’ preferences and practices. Moreover, despite professional enthusiasm about long-acting ...Read more >