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Riley Steiner, PhD, MPH

(she/her/hers)
Director, Research Translation, CONVERGE; Research Associate Professor of Medicine

Riley Steiner, PhD, MPH, is a Research Associate Professor with CONVERGE and the Director of Research Translation, supporting efforts to apply CONVERGE’s cutting-edge science to policies, programs, and clinical practices that enhance sexual and reproductive health (SRH) equity. Currently, she is a co-investigator on the PA Catalyst project as well as a mixed method study of misinformation funded by the Society of Family Planning. As a public health behavioral scientist, her research addresses policy, systems, and interpersonal influences on access to quality SRH information and services. Dr. Steiner has particular expertise in adolescent sexual and reproductive health and is actively engaged in the national collaborative Youth Reproductive Equity.

Prior to joining CONVERGE, Dr. Steiner was the Senior Director of Research and Evaluation at Power to Decide where she led the organization’s scientific portfolio. In this role, she conceptualized and launched the Youth Reproductive Health Access (YouR HeAlth) Survey to fill gaps in understanding young people’s knowledge, attitudes, and experiences related to contraception and abortion. She also served as the principal investigator of two federally-funded randomized controlled trials, in partnership with Child Trends. Before Power to Decide, Dr. Steiner spent a decade working on adolescent SRH at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in both the Division of Adolescent and School Health and the Division of Reproductive Health. In all her work, she is committed to using high-quality science to inform innovative approaches that meaningfully and equitably advance sexual and reproductive health and well-being.

Education & Training
PhD, Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health
MPH, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
BA, Biology, Diplomacy and World Affairs, Occidental College
Representative Publications
  1. Steiner RJ, Axelson SM, Nuñez-Eddy C, Williams K, Borrero S, Desai S, Dodson Mistry J, Fowler CI, Lindberg LD, Maddow-Zimet I, Rice W, Rocca CH, Smith MG, Wilkinson TA. Contraception. What is contraceptive access? A comprehensive, multi-level framework to inform research, policy, and practice. Contraception. 2025. Online ahead of print.
  2. Whitfield B, Larsen C, Steiner RJ. Critical Gaps in U.S. Adolescent and Young Adult Contraceptive Knowledge. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2025. Online ahead of print. 
  3. Steiner RJ, Zapata LB, Curtis KM, Whiteman MK, Carvalho Guimaraes M, Fasula AM, Tromble E, Brittain AW, Nguyen A. Is the COVID-19 Pandemic Continuing to Impact Sexual and Reproductive Health Services for Adolescents? Findings From a 2021 Survey of U.S. Physicians. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2023; 72(5):696-702.
  4. Sieving RE, McRee AL, Gewirtz O’Brien JR, Mehus C, Wang S, Brar P, Marina Catallozzi M, Gorzkowski J, Grilo S, Kaseeska K, Santelli S, Steiner RJ, Klein JD. Sexual and Reproductive Health Discussions during Preventive Visits. Pediatrics. 2021;148(2).
  5. Szucs LE, Lowry R, Fasula AM, Pampati S, Copen C, Hussaini K, Kachur R, Koumans EH, Steiner RJ. Condom and Contraceptive Use Behaviors Among Sexually Active High School Students — National Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance, United States, 2019. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Supplement. 2020;69(1):11-18.