Lauren Ralph, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences
Epidemiologist, Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health
Dr. Ralph is an epidemiologist whose research examines the context in which women, and in particular adolescents, make decisions around pregnancy and childbirth, and the consequences of unintended childbearing on women’s health and well-being. Her current work includes research on the longitudinal effect of being denied a wanted abortion on women’s health and well-being; the effect of abortion restrictions, particularly parental involvement requirements, on young women’s experience seeking abortion care. As a current UCSF-Kaiser BIRCWH scholar, Dr. Ralph is expanding these areas of research to characterize adolescents’ capacity for autonomous decision-making around pregnancy and better understand the causal impact of unintended childbearing on women’s educational trajectories. Dr. Ralph is also engaged in research to understand the relationship between hormonal contraceptive use and women’s risk of HIV acquisition, measure women’s certainty about the decision to seek abortion care and other health decisions, evaluate innovative strategies to stimulate demand for contraception, and better understand and address the methodological challenges associated with studying complex, reproductive health behaviors. Across all areas of research, she draws on a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to answer research questions that can directly inform policy. Dr. Ralph received her BS from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and MPH and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.
Education:
- University of California, Berkeley, Masters in Public Health and Doctorate
- University of California, Santa Barbara, Bachelor of Science
In the news:
- Women who are denied abortions may face long-lasting health problems, study says | TIME
- Denying women abortions can hurt their health for years | MSN
- Women's health worsened over 5 years after being denied an abortion | Los Angeles Times
- People are already dying from being denied abortions | Vice
- Parental notification law appears to limit, delay abortions | Reuters
- Do minors need parental involvement for an abortion? These laws can present barriers | Elite Daily
- The myth of abortion regret | Slate
- A new front in the war over reproductive rights: "abortion pill reversal" | New York Times Magazine
- Parental notification laws delay minors' access to abortion care, study finds | Think Progress
-
Ralph LJ, Mauldon J, Biggs MA, Foster DG. A Prospective Cohort Study of the Effect of Receiving versus Being Denied an Abortion on Educational Attainment. Womens Health Issues. 2019 Nov 07. PMID: 31708341.View in: PubMed
-
Ralph LJ, Schwarz EB, Grossman D, Foster DG. Self-reported Physical Health of Women Who Did and Did Not Terminate Pregnancy After Seeking Abortion Services: A Cohort Study. Ann Intern Med. 2019 Jun 11. PMID: 31181576.View in: PubMed
-
McCarthy KJ, Gollub EL, Ralph L, van de Wijgert J, Jones HE. Hormonal Contraceptives and the Acquisition of Sexually Transmitted Infections: An Updated Systematic Review. Sex Transm Dis. 2019 May; 46(5):290-296. PMID: 30628946.View in: PubMed
-
Rocca CH, Ralph LJ, Wilson M, Gould H, Foster DG. Psychometric Evaluation of an Instrument to Measure Prospective Pregnancy Preferences: The Desire to Avoid Pregnancy Scale. Med Care. 2019 02; 57(2):152-158. PMID: 30550399.View in: PubMed
-
Gollub EL, Jones HE, Ralph LJ, van de Wijgert JHHM, Padian N, Stein Z. The Need for Policy Change Regarding Progestin-Only Injectable Contraceptives. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2019 Sep; 28(9):1180-1184. PMID: 30576259.View in: PubMed
-
Nance N, Ralph L, Padian N, Cowan F, Buzdugan R, Mushavi A, Mahomva A, McCoy SI. Unintended pregnancy and subsequent postpartum long-acting reversible contraceptive use in Zimbabwe. BMC Womens Health. 2018 11 26; 18(1):193. PMID: 30477497.View in: PubMed
-
Biggs MA, Ralph L, Raifman S, Foster DG, Grossman D. Support for and interest in alternative models of medication abortion provision among a national probability sample of U.S. women. Contraception. 2019 Feb; 99(2):118-124. PMID: 30448203.View in: PubMed
-
MA Biggs, L Ralph, S Raifman, D Foster, D Grossman. Interest in and support for alternative models of medication abortion provision according to a U.S. national probability sample. Contraception. 2018 Oct 1; 98(4):344.View in: Publisher Site
-
D Grossman, L Ralph, S Raifman, U Upadhyay, C Gerdts, A Biggs, DG Foster. Lifetime prevalence of self-induced abortion among a nationally representative sample of U.S. women. Contraception. 2018 May 1; 97(5):460.View in: Publisher Site
-
Foster DG, Biggs MA, Ralph L, Gerdts C, Roberts S, Glymour MM. Socioeconomic Outcomes of Women Who Receive and Women Who Are Denied Wanted Abortions in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2018 03; 108(3):407-413. PMID: 29345993.View in: PubMed
-
Ralph LJ, King E, Belusa E, Foster DG, Brindis CD, Biggs MA. The Impact of a Parental Notification Requirement on Illinois Minors' Access to and Decision-Making Around Abortion. J Adolesc Health. 2018 03; 62(3):281-287. PMID: 29248391.View in: PubMed
-
Roberts SCM, Belusa E, Turok DK, Combellick S, Ralph L. Do 72-Hour Waiting Periods and Two-Visit Requirements for Abortion Affect Women's Certainty? A Prospective Cohort Study. Womens Health Issues. 2017 Jul - Aug; 27(4):400-406. PMID: 28391971.View in: PubMed
-
Sisson G, Ralph L, Gould H, Foster DG. Adoption Decision Making among Women Seeking Abortion. Womens Health Issues. 2017 Mar - Apr; 27(2):136-144. PMID: 28153742.View in: PubMed
-
Ralph LJ, Foster DG, Kimport K, Turok D, Roberts SCM. Measuring decisional certainty among women seeking abortion. Contraception. 2017 Mar; 95(3):269-278. PMID: 27745910.View in: PubMed
-
C Rocca, H Gould, R Barar, L Ralph, B Rowlan, D Foster. Operationalizing pregnancy preferences: development of a new instrument to measure strength of desire to avoid pregnancy. Contraception. 2016 Oct 1; 94(4):423.View in: Publisher Site
-
G Sisson, H Gould, L Ralph, D Foster. Adoption decision making after being denied a wanted abortion. Contraception. 2016 Oct 1; 94(4):400.View in: Publisher Site
-
Roberts SC, Ralph LJ, Wilsnack SC, Foster DG. Which women are missed by primary health-care based interventions for alcohol and drug use? Addict Behav. 2016 Apr; 55:32-7. PMID: 26774493.View in: PubMed
-
Ralph LJ, Gollub EL, Jones HE. Hormonal contraceptive use and women's risk of HIV acquisition: priorities emerging from recent data. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2015 Dec; 27(6):487-95. PMID: 26536211.View in: PubMed
-
L. Ralph, D. Greene Foster, D.K. Turok, S. Roberts. Evaluating the psychometric properties of two decisional conflict scales among women seeking abortion in Utah. Contraception. 2015 Oct 1; 92(4):368-369.View in: Publisher Site
-
Ralph LJ, McCoy SI, Shiu K, Padian NS. Hormonal contraceptive use and women's risk of HIV acquisition: a meta-analysis of observational studies. Lancet Infect Dis. 2015 Feb; 15(2):181-9. PMID: 25578825.View in: PubMed
-
McCoy SI, Ralph LJ, Padian NS, Minnis AM. Are hormonal contraceptive users more likely to misreport unprotected sex? Evidence from a biomarker validation study in Zimbabwe. AIDS Behav. 2014 Dec; 18(12):2259-64. PMID: 24619603.View in: PubMed
-
McCoy SI, Buzdugan R, Ralph LJ, Mushavi A, Mahomva A, Hakobyan A, Watadzaushe C, Dirawo J, Cowan FM, Padian NS. Unmet need for family planning, contraceptive failure, and unintended pregnancy among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected women in Zimbabwe. PLoS One. 2014; 9(8):e105320. PMID: 25144229.View in: PubMed
-
McCoy SI, Ralph LJ, Njau PF, Msolla MM, Padian NS. Food insecurity, socioeconomic status, and HIV-related risk behavior among women in farming households in Tanzania. AIDS Behav. 2014 Jul; 18(7):1224-36. PMID: 24097335.View in: PubMed
-
Ralph L, McCoy S, Hallett T, Padian N. Research on hormonal contraception and HIV - Authors' reply. Lancet. 2014 Jan 25; 383(9914):305-6. PMID: 24461119.View in: PubMed
-
Ralph L, Gould H, Baker A, Foster DG. The role of parents and partners in minors' decisions to have an abortion and anticipated coping after abortion. J Adolesc Health. 2014 Apr; 54(4):428-34. PMID: 24332398.View in: PubMed
-
Ralph LJ, McCoy SI, Hallett T, Padian N. Next steps for research on hormonal contraception and HIV. Lancet. 2013 Nov 02; 382(9903):1467-9. PMID: 23810224.View in: PubMed
-
Minnis AM, Marchi K, Ralph L, Biggs MA, Combellick S, Arons A, Brindis CD, Braveman P. Limited socioeconomic opportunities and Latina teen childbearing: a qualitative study of family and structural factors affecting future expectations. J Immigr Minor Health. 2013 Apr; 15(2):334-40. PMID: 22678305.View in: PubMed
-
McCoy SI, Ralph LJ, Wilson W, Padian NS. Alcohol production as an adaptive livelihood strategy for women farmers in Tanzania and its potential for unintended consequences on women's reproductive health. PLoS One. 2013; 8(3):e59343. PMID: 23527167.View in: PubMed
-
Brindis CD, Ralph LJ. Critical junctures: assuring healthy outcomes for adolescents in the new millennium. Adolesc Med State Art Rev. 2011 Dec; 22(3):341-66, ix. PMID: 22423455.View in: PubMed
-
Schwartz SL, Brindis CD, Ralph LJ, Biggs MA. Latina adolescents' perceptions of their male partners' influences on childbearing: findings from a qualitative study in California. Cult Health Sex. 2011 Sep; 13(8):873-86. PMID: 21707264.View in: PubMed
-
Lauren J. Ralph, Nancy F. Berglas, Sarah L. Schwartz, Claire D. Brindis. Finding Teens in TheirSpace: Using Social Networking Sites to Connect Youth to Sexual Health Services. Sexuality Research and Social Policy. 2011 Mar 1; 8(1):38-49.View in: Publisher Site
-
Ralph LJ, Brindis CD. Access to reproductive healthcare for adolescents: establishing healthy behaviors at a critical juncture in the lifecourse. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2010 Oct; 22(5):369-74. PMID: 20733485.View in: PubMed
-
M. Antonia Biggs, Lauren Ralph, Alexandra M. Minnis, Abigail Arons, Kristen S. Marchi, Jocelyn A. Lehrer, Paula A. Braveman, Claire D. Brindis. Factors Associated With Delayed Childbearing: From the Voices of Expectant Latina Adults and Teens in California. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences. 2010 Feb 1; 32(1):77-103.View in: Publisher Site
-
Foster DG, Biggs MA, Ralph LJ, Arons A, Brindis CD. Family planning and life planning reproductive intentions among individuals seeking reproductive health care. Womens Health Issues. 2008 Sep-Oct; 18(5):351-9. PMID: 18485738.View in: PubMed
-
Foster DG, Ralph LJ, Arons A, Brindis CD, Harper CC. Trends in knowledge of emergency contraception among women in California, 1999-2004. Womens Health Issues. 2007 Jan-Feb; 17(1):22-8. PMID: 17321944.View in: PubMed
-
Ralph L, Brindis C, Shields WC. Mandating parental involvement in adolescents' abortion: implications of a short-sighted policy. Contraception. 2006 Feb; 73(2):211-3. PMID: 16413852.View in: PubMed