News
Dr. Ellison wins 3rd place poster award
Congrats to Dr. Ellison for receiving third place on her poster focusing on contraceptive service use among tradition Medicare and Medicare advantage enrollees at last weekend's Society of Family Planning's Annual Conference!
Examining acceptability of strategies to improve access to substance use treatment and HIV prevention services for young adults on probation in Ukraine
Dr. Emily Dauria recently conducted an exploratory qualitative study examining acceptability of strategies to improve access to substance use treatment and HIV prevention services for young adults on probation in Ukraine.
HIV awareness, pre-exposure prophylaxis perceptions and experiences among people who exchange sex
This World AIDS Day we want to highlight the work of Dr. Kislovskiy, Dr. Miller, Dr. Chang, and their team members who led a qualitative and community based participatory study on HIV awareness and PrEP perceptions among individuals who exchange sex.
Early pregnancy confirmation availability at crisis pregnancy centers and abortion facilities in the United States
Findings demonstrate that pregnancy confirmation is more accessible at crisis pregnancy centers (CPC) than at abortion facilities and they are predicted to be exacerbated in the wake of abortion clinic closures following the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court decision. This highlights the need for improved funding and support for pregnancy confirmation service delivery in medical settings, including abortion facilities.
The Pittsburgh Study: Learning with Communities About Child Health and Thriving
Dr. Miller's Pittsburgh Study offers an example of centering community members, their voices, and their experiences to improve child and adolescent thriving and racial equity.
Changes in Access to Contraceptive Care and Use Two Years after Iowa Medicaid Coverage Restrictions at Abortion-Providing Facilities Went into Effect
Inequities in access to contraception based on ability to pay interferes with individuals’ reproductive autonomy, as shown by Dr. Kavanaugh's study examining the impact of a 2017 state-level policy in Iowa. Findings show that receipt of recent contraceptive care decreased, disrupting access to sexual and reproductive health care. This study supports the growing body of lit that supportive payment and funding strategies for contraception allow people to access the contraception they need.
Binary and Nonbinary Transgender Adolescents' Healthcare Experiences, Avoidance, and Well Visits
Dr. Liz Miller's recent research shows that nonbinary and transmasculine adolescents are experiencing more non-affirming health care experiences than transfeminine adolescents. These negative and non-affirming experiences create health care and well visit avoidance. Healthcare systems need to address their disrespect and refusal of care as well as proactively train and educate their providers to support the transcommunity with competent and affirming care.
A novel approach to classifying early and late preterm births
This World Prematurity Day, we are highlighting the work of Dr. Catov, who classified early and late preterm births by pathophysiology and risk factors. Findings show that:
Half of late preterm births had no evident predominant placental pathology -Prepregnancy BMI doubled the probability of maternal vascular malperfusion in early preterm births Small-for-gestational-age & severe neonatal morbidity was most prevalent among deliveries w/ placental malperfusionPregnancy considerations after a premature birth of an infant requiring intensive care
Today is World Prematurity Day and we want to highlight the work of Dr. Judy Chang whose recent research looked at future pregnancy considerations after a premature birth of an infant requiring intensive care.
The loss of control in predicting or preventing a future preterm birth and uncertainty about their child's future medical needs resulted in:
- Participants describing their preterm birth and their infants' NICU hospitalization as traumatic and impacting plans for future pregnancies.
Evaluating MyPath in VA primary care
Drs. Lisa Callegari and Sonya Borrero are evaluating MyPath in VA primary care to increase the quality and person-centeredness of reproductive health care delivery in primary care.
Parenthood impacts short-term health outcomes in people with cystic fibrosis
There is a major knowledge gap regarding the health impacts of parenthood in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Using UK CF registry data to evaluate parenthood's impact on health outcomes, Dr. Traci Kazmerski and her team found that parenthood adversely impacts short-term health outcomes for people with CF. To better understand the impact of the widespread use CFTR modulators, longer-term, prospective parenthood studies are needed.
Pregnancy Tissue Photos Backfire on Abortion Rights Supporters
Faculty member Greer Donley, JD co-wrote a piece for Slate.com about the negative ramifications of the pregnancy tissue photos that have been circling the web. This includes concerns around:
- Suggesting that the acceptability of abortion is based on the appearance of the fetus or embryo undermines and stigmatizes abortion rights after the first trimester
Congratulations to Greer Donley for receiving the Iris Marion Young Award!
Greer Donley, JD has been selected to receive the Iris Marion Young Award for Political Engagement for her extraordinary work on reproductive justice. This awards, co-sponsored by GSPIA and GSWS, honors members of the Pitt community who at Pitt or beyond work in special ways to promote justice.
Iris Marion Young Award Winners Will Be Honored on Thurs., Nov. 17.