Meet Jasmine Powell, equity specialist shifting culture

Jasmine Powell’s grandmother was an elevator operator and patient escort at UCSF in the 1970’s. Her mother worked hospital administration. Now, as a third generation San Francisco native and UCSF employee, she’s bringing her personal history rooted in this community and her deep experience working...

Pharmacists can dispense mifepristone for abortions

The FDA restricts mifepristone, a drug used for medication abortion, even though it is very safe. Patients can only get it through a certified provider at a clinic. One possible way to increase access is for pharmacists to provide mifepristone directly to patients. Pharmacists safely provide...

Simple education sessions increase students’ knowledge about birth control

Almost all young people know about condoms and birth control pills, but they’re less aware of other options like intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants. Healthcare providers can be an important source of information, but young people don’t always have access to clinic visits. Many lack insurance...

Peers’ beliefs influence birth control use in rural Kenya

Throughout sub-Saharan Africa, a high percentage of women want to stop or delay childbearing but aren’t using birth control. Fear about side effects— real or perceived—is an important barrier to using birth control. One such fear is that contraception causes infertility. Bixby member Erica...

Louisiana abortions decreased at the start of the pandemic

Disruptions in the health care system during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted reproductive health services, including abortion. While many abortion clinics remained open and continued to provide care during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, most clinics in Louisiana did not. 

Greater travel distance to abortion services associated with lower abortion rates

Many states have implemented policies restricting abortion care clinicians and facilities. Such policies often result in clinic closures and inability to access care, which disproportionately impacts low-income women and non-white women. Clinic closures often result in increased travel to receive...

Reasons for pursuing self-managed abortion vary, as do experiences

Interest in self-managed abortion in the US has grown as states pass more restrictive laws. Research in recent years has shown that some people seek to terminate a pregnancy without medical assistance but has mainly focused on talking to people who eventually got an abortion at a clinic. New...

How to reduce anemia among women in rural India

More than half of women of reproductive age in India have some level of anemia because they do not have enough healthy red blood cells. Anemia can cause fatigue, lightheadedness, and dizziness, and may be improved by taking iron supplements. Efforts to reduce anemia in India have typically...

Improving family-centered care in the neonatal intensive care unit

Family care in neonatal intensive care units is a model that sees the infant’s family as a partner in caregiving. This approach includes family members in infant caregiving and decision making and provides support to families so they can be present and active in their infant’s care. Despite...

The importance of youth-centered maternity care

Adolescent pregnancy and childbirth is a key area of global health. Physicians highlight the unique needs of pregnant adolescents and the importance of tailoring their care. Yet there is little research on pregnant adolescents’ perspectives of their maternity care, or how their perspectives compare...