News
2024 ICRE Distinguished Alumnus Award
Director Dr. Sonya Borrero received the 2024 ICRE Distinguished Alumnus Award in Clinical Research. Congrats. We're thrilled to celebrate Dr. Borrero's incredible contributions to the field of health care!
Partner Violent Men's Perspectives on the Factors That They Believe Contributed to Their Abusive Behaviors
While research on perpetration of IPV is growing, few studies have sought to explore perpetrators' perspectives on their abusive behaviors. Thus, Dr. Judy Chang and her team conducted semistructured, open-ended interviews with men convicted of an IPV crime where they broadly explored their perspectives on contributors to abuse. These findings highlight areas where intervention efforts need to be tailored to address the unmet needs of men who perpetrate.
Mobile App Predicts Future Depression in Pregnant People
“Depression is a leading complication during pregnancy with about 15% of patients reporting symptoms at some point in their pregnancy journey,” said lead author Dr. Tamar Krishnamurti. “We already have great screening tools for active depression, but our approach is unique because it predicts who is likely to develop depression in the future. If we can identify people early on, before symptoms emerge, we might be able to tailor preventive care and offer tools and support to address underlying triggers of depression.”
The relationship between religious affiliation and menopause symptoms and attitudes in United States women
New findings show that there is a relationship between religious affiliation and the menopause experience according to Dr. Holly Thomas. These results demonstrate the importance of considering social influences on women's health experiences.
Decentralized Biobanking Empowers Patients in Biospecimen Research
Decentralized biobanking (de-bi) leverages blockchain technology to empower patient engagement in biospecimen research. Dr. Marielle Gross' team demonstrates proof-of-concept for engaging patients, physicians, and scientists in a dynamic research community. This prototype is a first step for advancing paradigm-shifting de-bi technology that provides unprecedented transparency and suggests new standards for equity and inclusion in biobanking.
The INTERACT ( Using DesIgN jusTicE to impRove cArCeral health ouTcomes) Center
Dr. Emily Dauria's INTERACT Center is now funded by the NIH! INTERACT will improve representation/engagement of those with context expertise in the criminal legal system, HIV and substance use in research to illuminate key barriers to service access.
Has the fall of Roe changed contraceptive access and use?
Has the fall of Roe changed contraceptive access and use? Dr. Kavanaugh explores this question in Arizona, Iowa, New Jersey, and Wisconsin, finding that receiving one's preferred contraception is more difficult and receiving high quality contraception care is less likely. In a post-Dobbs world, comprehensive contraception care is necessary and barriers to this care can be detrimental to people's health.
Read more about Dr. Kavanaugh's findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38756551/
Gender and Sexual Orientation Differences in Sexual Violence Knowledge, Prevention Behaviors, and Care-Seeking Behaviors
Since sexual violence (SV) on college campuses disproportionately affects cisgender women, sexual minorities, and gender minority people, this study by Dr. Liz Miller and her team investigated gender and sexual behavior differences in common SV intervention targets-SV-related knowledge, prevention behaviors, and care-seeking.
Dr. Dara Méndez received the 2024 Ascending Star Award
Congratulations to Dr. Dara Méndez for being honored with the 2024 Ascending Star Award! Dr. Méndez's efforts in promoting racial and socioeconomic equity and justice in pregnancy, birth, and reproductive and women’s health deserves this recognition!
Dobbs, Abortion Bans, and Repercussions on the Practice of Medicine
Join CONVERGE faculty members, Marian Jarlenski, PhD, MPH, Suji Uhm, MD, MPH, Sonya Borrero, MD, MS, Mehret Birru Talabi, PhD, MD, and Greer Donley, JD, at Medicine Grand Rounds for Dobbs, Abortion Bans, and Repercussions on the Practice of Medicine.
Unfulfilled and method-specific contraceptive preferences among reproductive-aged contraceptive users
Dr. Megan Kavanaugh found that avenues for decreasing the gap between contraceptive methods used and those preferred to be used may lie with healthcare providers and funding streams that support the delivery of contraceptive care. 23% of participants reported preferring to use a method other than their current method, ranging from 17% in Iowa to 26% in New Jersey.
CONVERGE Seminar: Reproductive Rights and Rheumatology.
Join us this Friday for our seminar series featuring Dr. Mehret Birru Talabi, who will explore the intersection of reproductive rights and rheumatology.
Exploring the multi-level impacts of a youth-led comprehensive sexuality education model in Madagascar using Human-centered Design methods
Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is recognized as a critical tool for addressing sexuality & reproductive health challenges among adolescents. Dr. Sara Baumann's study explored multi-level impacts of an innovative CSE program in Madagascar which employed young adult CSE educators to teach a 3-year curriculum in government middle schools across the country. The program has impacted the lives of students, their parents, their schools, their communities, and broader structural issues.
The sedentary behavior reduction in pregnancy intervention pilot and feasibility randomized trial
Dr. Catov's work around pregnant individuals at risk for high sedentary behavior and adverse pregnancy outcomes points to a sedentary behavior reduction intervention being feasible, acceptable, and may offer a viable alternative.