For this Junior Investigator Career Development Grant, I completed a rigorous research and training program to develop my skills conducting abortion-related research. For my research project, I joined a team of collaborators at the University of California, San Francisco and in Nepal on two abortion research studies, one examining the experiences of Nepali women who ...Read more >

This study is a history of the development and subsequent resurgence of the occupational role of abortion counseling, a role that initially emerged in the early 1970s, before Roe v. Wade. This research is guided, in theoretical terms, by the approach to the study of occupations associated with the Chicago School of Sociology and in ...Read more >

In South Africa, abortion is legal for several indications up to 20 weeks gestation, and approximately 25%-30% of all abortions take place in the second trimester. Most public sector second trimester procedures are performed by medical induction with misoprostol alone, although in the Western Cape Province, a team of roving doctors provides dilation and evacuation. ...Read more >

Compared to their heterosexual peers, sexual minority (i.e., lesbian and bisexual) girls and women are particularly vulnerable to having poor reproductive health. Our study team has recently documented that sexual minorities are less likely to receive preventative care like Pap tests and more likely to experience a teen pregnancy. We have shown that these disparities ...Read more >

Objectives: Evidence suggests that over-the-counter access to oral contraceptives may improve contraceptive access and use among adult women. Teenagers may particularly benefit from this approach, as they experience disproportionately high rates of unintended pregnancy and face unique challenges accessing contraception. However, limited research has focused on teenagers and over-the-counter access. The aims of this study ...Read more >

Objective: To describe the effectiveness of funic potassium chloride (KCl) injection for fetal demise at the time of intact dilation and evacuation, and compare outcomes for patients undergoing intact versus standard dilation and evacuation. Methods: We reviewed medical records of patients who underwent dilation and evacuation at 20 weeks’ gestation or greater from February 2016 ...Read more >

Background: Measurement of sensitive behaviors is often limited by high levels of underreporting due to stigma and concerns about privacy. Abortion in particular is notoriously difficult to measure. Validation studies in the US find that up to 70% of abortions are not reported via traditional surveys. This study implements a novel method to estimate the ...Read more >

Objectives: To test the association between having an abortion and subsequent depression, in a nationally representative and longitudinal dataset, controlling for pre-pregnancy depression. Methods: Data from four waves of the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health were utilized. Multivariate logistic regression models were employed to test the relationship between having an abortion and subsequent depression. ...Read more >

The family planning research program at Oregon Health & Science University provides a unique and diverse opportunity for junior investigators to be involved in both basic and clinical investigation. As someone who has been the beneficiary of excellent mentoring and a mentored scholar award (K12), I have had a long-standing commitment to mentoring students, residents, ...Read more >

Objective: Effective postpartum contraception helps space births and reduce unintended pregnancy. We explore predictors, including trust, of choosing effective postpartum contraception among a cohort of pregnant women. Methods: This prospective, observational study enrolled adult English-speaking pregnant women during prenatal care. We administered surveys at enrollment and prior to discharge. Our primary predictor was trust in ...Read more >