Dr. Borrero’s program of research focuses on understanding multilevel influences on contraceptive and pregnancy decision making in marginalized populations with the aim of identifying targets for social, clinical, and policy interventions that will support all people’s reproductive autonomy and their ability to avoid undesired pregnancies and births and ultimately build the families they desire. Her ongoing funded research projects include:
Developing and testing a decision support tool for women making tubal sterilization decisions.
(MyDecision)
Because low-income women's decision making and provider counseling regarding surgical sterilization are often suboptimal, the proposed research seeks to build and test a decision support tool to enhance low-income women's ability to make informed and value-concordant surgical sterilization decisions. In addition to its potential clinical utility, this research has important public health and policy implications as it can inform ongoing efforts to transform the current Medicaid sterilization consent policy by offering an evidence-based tool that is truly able to ensure informed decision making in vulnerable populations. Once we help safeguard women with a process for ensuring informed consent, we can then consider shortening or waiving the 30-day waiting period that has restricted access to sterilization for many low-income women.
Development and validation of a novel, person-centered measure of post-conception pregnancy acceptability (Post-CAP)
The proposed research directly responds to calls from researchers, public health officials, and women’s health advocates for new measures that better capture what individuals wanted for themselves before and after a pregnancy became a part of their lives. By producing a novel measure of post-conception pregnancy acceptability, we will expand our understanding of the links between the contexts in which pregnancy occurs and reproductive health outcomes. Ultimately, measures of pregnancy acceptability can be incorporated into epidemiologic surveillance of the US’s ability to meet its citizens’ reproductive needs in ways that intentionally center individuals’ lived experiences and inform development of more effective, evidence-based and person- centered interventions to improve reproductive health outcomes and equity.
A Multi-Faceted Approach to Optimize Contraceptive Access and Equity in Pennsylvania.
This project seeks to expand access to the full range of contraceptive options in PA by removing policy- or systems-level barriers to equitable access to contraception. The initiatives outlined in this project employ an equity- and justice-informed approach and include:
- Contraception Equity in Pennsylvania
- Pharmacist Provision of Contraception
- Explanation of Benefits (EOB) Privacy
- 12 Month Dispensing of Contraception
- Postpartum Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) Reimbursement in Commercial Plans
Birth Control on Demand in VA: A Demonstration Project
This demonstration project is a collaboration between the divisions of primary care, women’s health, and pharmacy at VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. The project’s goals are to determine the feasibility and acceptability of (1) pharmacist prescribing of hormonal contraception at VA and (2) 12-month contraceptive dispensing at VA.
Funding:
5R01MD011678 funded by NIH/National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
5R01HD103286 funded by NIH/NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH)
VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP) Pilot Project Award, VISN 4