News
Letter to the Editor: The impact of U.S. abortion policy on rheumatology clinical practice: a cross-sectional survey of rheumatologists
Dr. Mehret Birru Talabi, Greer Donley, and Catherine Wright collaborated on a letter to the editor of Arthritis & Rheumatology about their recent cross-sectional survey of rheumatologists which describes the impacts of U.S. abortion policy on rheumatology clinical practice.
View the full letter to the editor here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37706661/
Development of My Decision/Mi Decisión
Drs. Mosley and Borrero developed a web-based decision aid to support permanent contraception decision called My Decision/Mi Decisión. This tool includes written and video information about tubal sterilization procedures; an interactive table of contraception options; values clarification exercises; reflection and deliberation; knowledge checks; and a summary report to share with one's provider. Users found the decision aid to be informative, engaging, easy to use, and helpful in informing contraception decision making.
Primary and reproductive healthcare access and use among reproductive aged women and female family planning patients
In this analysis, Dr. Kavanaugh and her team examined sociodemographic and healthcare seeking profiles in three states from 2018-2021 where public funding for health services has recently changed: Arizona, Iowa, and Wisconsin. These data serve as a baseline to monitor access and use of SRH services in the wake of drastic family planning funding shifts that changed the availability and capacity of the family planning service infrastructure across the country.
Sleep characteristics modify the associations of physical activity during pregnancy and gestational weight gain
In this secondary data analysis of a prospective cohort during pregnancy, Dr. Michele Levine and her team examined the impact of sleep characteristics in the second trimester of pregnancy on the association between physical activity change and gestational weight gain. Based on findings from this study, weight management interventions in pregnancy should consider screening for and addressing poor sleep in the second trimester.
Read more about Dr. Levine's findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35870008/
Community-Engaged Research Methods for Improving Reproductive Health Care
Dr. Liz Mosley will be presenting on Community-Engaged Research Methods for Improving Reproductive Health Care as part of the Health Services Research Seminar Series on September 7, 2023 at 12:00 PM EST
Save your spot and register here: https://pitt.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIlcuyrqzopHdacnddSGBmBs_NNnuckFLLK#/registration
Believe Survivors March
Join Pittsburgh Universities Believe Survivors (P.U.B.S) in a march to support survivors of domestic and sexual violence. This event is sponsored by Carlow, Pitt, CMU, Duquesne, and Chatham. Individuals from each campus community is invited, as well as members of the general public, to participate. Help create signs, posters, and banners on Carlow's campus green before the march. After the march, there will be an option to listen to survivor testimonials.
Dr. Elizabeth Miller's The Pittsburgh Study won the W. K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship Award
Congratulations to Elizabeth Miller, MD, and the Pittsburgh Study for winning the prestigious W. K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship Award!
Human-Centered Design Research Funding Panel
On September 1st, join Maya Ragavan, PhD, MPH, MS, Jaime Sidani, PhD, MPH, and Candice Biernesser, PhD, for a panel discussion on securing funding for human-centered design research.
Register here: https://pitt.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcqfuqtqz8tGNecFUzC2WrYMK8ADnHbHMvD#/registration
A retrospective textual analysis of sexual and reproductive health counseling for adolescent and young adult people with epilepsy of gestational capacity
Drs. Laura Kirkpatrick and Traci Kazmerski conducted a retrospective textual analysis of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) counseling clinical notes for adolescent and young adult people with epilepsy of gestational capacity. They found that child neurologists counsel on SRH topics less frequently than recommended according to the The American Academy of Neurology.
Read more about their findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37348408/
Variations in Provision of Long-Acting Reversible Contraception Across Veterans Health Administration Facilities
Dr. Lisa Callegari and her team looked at the variation in provision of long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) method across Veteran Affairs facilities. They found substantial variation in LARC provision with less frequency at rural facilities.
Read more about their findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37340270/
Where Do Reproductive-Aged Women Want to Get Contraception?
Dr. Kavanaugh's research points to the need for policies that ensure access to a diversity of contraceptive sources. This will have the greatest likelihood of closing the gap between people's contraceptive access preferences and realities.
Read more about her findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37099807/
Duration of medication for opioid use disorder during pregnancy and postpartum by race/ethnicity
Dr. Marian Jarlenski's recent study shows:
• There are racial/ethnic inequities in medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) use during pregnancy.
• Less is known about racial/ethnic inequities in MOUD use postpartum.
• White women had longer duration of MOUD postpartum than Hispanic or Black women.
• Inequities differed by type of MOUD.
• Reducing inequities in MOUD use is critical to improving perinatal outcomes.
Read more about their findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37058829/
Partner perspectives on women's sexual and reproductive healthcare in cystic fibrosis
Olivia Stransky, Catherine Wright, and Dr. Traci Kazmeski found that partners report gaps in sexual and reproductive health care and counseling despite the majority wanting to discuss sexual and reproductive health concerns with their partner's cystic fibrosis team.
Read more about their findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35970694/
A virtual, group-based mindfulness intervention for midlife and older women with low libido lowers sexual distress in a randomized controlled pilot study
Drs. Holly Thomas, Rebecca Thurston, and their team developed a virtual mindfulness intervention for midlife and older women with low libido and found that it is feasible, acceptable, and appears to improve sexual distress as compared with an education control; these findings provide data that can be used to design a larger clinical trial.
Read more about their findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37353906/
Reproductive Health Research and Data Privacy after Dobbs
Faculty member Dr. Elizabeth Mosley will be a panelist on reproductive health research and data privacy after Dobbs for the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics.
This meeting is open to the public and you can register and learn more here: https://ncvhs.hhs.gov/meetings/full-committee-meeting-14