Erica Sedlander, DrPH, MPH
Dr. Sedlander is an Assistant Professor and Social Scientist who conducts research to help women achieve their fertility goals throughout the life course (from pregnancy prevention to infertility prevention). She also examines how social norms and gender norms affect attitudes and behavior using qualitative research and statistical modeling.
Dr. Sedlander developed and validated the G-NORM, a gender norms scale, in India, Nepal, and Uganda. Based on qualitative research, Dr. Sedlander and colleagues also implemented a randomized controlled trial in India, the RANI Project, to improve nutritional behaviors among women using a social norms approach. She conducted the impact evaluation to examine which components of the intervention had the most effect on behavior. Recently, she’s examined how the belief that contraceptives cause infertility affects use in Ethiopia and Kenya. She also directs the DMPA-SC Self-injection Learning Exchange. The aim is to aggregate and synthesize contraceptive self-injection evidence across countries. She is also the co-leader of the Innovations for Choice and Autonomy (ICAN) mentorship program that strives to build capacity in early career investigators in sub-Saharan Africa.