Sarah Roberts, DrPH

Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences
Public Health Social Scientist, Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health

Dr. Robert's research interests include policies that affect women’s reproductive lives including both state-level abortion restrictions and Child Protective Services reporting policies for pregnant women who use alcohol and drugs. Dr. Roberts’ current research focuses on the impact of receiving versus being denied an abortion on women’s alcohol and drug use, evaluating state-level abortion restrictions and state-level policies targeting alcohol use during pregnancy, and developing a genuine public health approach to abortion facility standards. Dr. Roberts’ work has been published in Social Science & Medicine, Women’s Health Issues, Maternal and Child Health Journal, and Alcohol and Alcoholism. 

 

Education:

  • University of California, Berkeley, Doctorate in Public Health
  • University of Michigan, Masters in Public Health and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies
  • Columbia University, Bachelors in History

 

Publications: 
  1. Berglas NF, Johns NE, Rosenzweig C, Hunter LA, Roberts S. State and Local Health Department Activities Related to Abortion: A Web Site Content Analysis. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2018 May/Jun; 24(3):255-262. PMID: 28857971.
    View in: PubMed
  2. Wingo E, Ingraham N, Roberts S. Reproductive Health Care Priorities and Barriers to Effective Care for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer People Assigned Female at Birth: A Qualitative Study. Womens Health Issues. 2018 Apr 13. PMID: 29661698.
    View in: PubMed
  3. Berglas NF, Roberts S. The development of facility standards for common outpatient procedures and implications for the context of abortion. BMC Health Serv Res. 2018 03 27; 18(1):212. PMID: 29580284.
    View in: PubMed
  4. Kimport K, Kriz R, Roberts S. The prevalence and impacts of crisis pregnancy center visits among a population of pregnant women. Contraception. 2018 Mar 02. PMID: 29505747.
    View in: PubMed
  5. Roberts S, Foster DG, Gould H, Biggs MA. Changes in Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use Over Five Years After Receiving Versus Being Denied a Pregnancy Termination. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2018 Mar; 79(2):293-301. PMID: 29553359.
    View in: PubMed
  6. Berglas NF, Battistelli MF, Nicholson WK, Sobota M, Urman RD, Roberts S. The effect of facility characteristics on patient safety, patient experience, and service availability for procedures in non-hospital-affiliated outpatient settings: A systematic review. PLoS One. 2018; 13(1):e0190975. PMID: 29304180.
    View in: PubMed
  7. Roberts S, Thomas S, Treffers R, Drabble L. Forty Years of State Alcohol and Pregnancy Policies in the USA: Best Practices for Public Health or Efforts to Restrict Women's Reproductive Rights? Alcohol Alcohol. 2017 Nov 01; 52(6):715-721. PMID: 29016712.
    View in: PubMed
  8. Roberts S, Fuentes L, Berglas NF, Dennis AJ. A 21st-Century Public Health Approach to Abortion. Am J Public Health. 2017 Dec; 107(12):1878-1882. PMID: 29048963.
    View in: PubMed
  9. Upadhyay UD, Kimport K, Belusa EKO, Johns NE, Laube DW, Roberts S. Evaluating the impact of a mandatory pre-abortion ultrasound viewing law: A mixed methods study. PLoS One. 2017; 12(7):e0178871. PMID: 28746377.
    View in: PubMed
  10. Roberts S, 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
  11. Berglas NF, Gould H, Turok DK, Sanders JN, Perrucci AC, Roberts S. State-Mandated (Mis)Information and Women's Endorsement of Common Abortion Myths. Womens Health Issues. 2017 Mar - Apr; 27(2):129-135. PMID: 28131389.
    View in: PubMed
  12. Ralph LJ, Foster DG, Kimport K, Turok D, Roberts S. Measuring decisional certainty among women seeking abortion. Contraception. 2017 Mar; 95(3):269-278. PMID: 27745910.
    View in: PubMed
  13. Roberts S, Fuentes L, Kriz R, Williams V, Upadhyay UD. Corrigendum to "Implications for women of Louisiana's law requiring abortion providers to have hospital admitting privileges" [Contraception (2015) 91:368-72. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2015.02.001]. Contraception. 2017 02; 95(2):221-222. PMID: 27647624.
    View in: PubMed
  14. Upadhyay UD, Johns NE, Combellick SL, Kohn JE, Keder LM, Roberts S. Comparison of Outcomes before and after Ohio's Law Mandating Use of the FDA-Approved Protocol for Medication Abortion: A Retrospective Cohort Study. PLoS Med. 2016 Aug; 13(8):e1002110. PMID: 27575488; PMCID: PMC5004901.
    View in: PubMed, PubMed Central
  15. Roberts S. Conclusion Overreach in Alcohol and Pregnancy Article. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2016 07; 77(4):667-8. PMID: 27340973.
    View in: PubMed
  16. Roberts S, Turok DK, Belusa E, Combellick S, Upadhyay UD. Utah's 72-Hour Waiting Period for Abortion: Experiences Among a Clinic-Based Sample of Women. Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2016 Dec; 48(4):179-187. PMID: 27010515.
    View in: PubMed
  17. Roberts S, 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; PMCID: PMC4721246 [Available on 04/01/17].
    View in: PubMed, PubMed Central
  18. Roberts S, Subbaraman MS, Delucchi KL, Wilsnack SC, Foster DG. Moderators and mediators of the relationship between receiving versus being denied a pregnancy termination and subsequent binge drinking. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2016 Feb 01; 159:117-24. PMID: 26747416; PMCID: PMC4724544 [Available on 02/01/17].
    View in: PubMed, PubMed Central
  19. Karasek D, Roberts S, Weitz TA. Abortion Patients' Experience and Perceptions of Waiting Periods: Survey Evidence before Arizona's Two-visit 24-hour Mandatory Waiting Period Law. Womens Health Issues. 2016 Jan-Feb; 26(1):60-6. PMID: 26626710.
    View in: PubMed
  20. Rocca CH, Kimport K, Roberts S, Gould H, Neuhaus J, Foster DG. Decision Rightness and Emotional Responses to Abortion in the United States: A Longitudinal Study. PLoS One. 2015; 10(7):e0128832. PMID: 26154386; PMCID: PMC4496083.
    View in: PubMed, PubMed Central
  21. Roberts S, Gould H, Upadhyay UD. Implications of Georgia's 20-Week Abortion Ban. Am J Public Health. 2015 Aug; 105(8):e77-82. PMID: 26066924.
    View in: PubMed
  22. Roberts S, Delucchi K, Wilsnack SC, Foster DG. Receiving Versus Being Denied a Pregnancy Termination and Subsequent Alcohol Use: A Longitudinal Study. Alcohol Alcohol. 2015 Jul; 50(4):477-84. PMID: 25787011; PMCID: PMC4474001.
    View in: PubMed, PubMed Central
  23. Roberts S, Fuentes L, Kriz R, Williams V, Upadhyay UD. Implications for women of Louisiana's law requiring abortion providers to have hospital admitting privileges. Contraception. 2015 May; 91(5):368-72. PMID: 25744615.
    View in: PubMed
  24. Roberts S, Foster DG. Receiving versus being denied an abortion and subsequent tobacco use. Matern Child Health J. 2015 Mar; 19(3):438-46. PMID: 24880251.
    View in: PubMed
  25. Foster DG, Steinberg JR, Roberts S, Neuhaus J, Biggs MA. A comparison of depression and anxiety symptom trajectories between women who had an abortion and women denied one. Psychol Med. 2015 Jul; 45(10):2073-82. PMID: 25628123; PMCID: PMC5004731.
    View in: PubMed, PubMed Central
  26. Roberts S, Wilsnack SC, Foster DG, Delucchi KL. Alcohol use before and during unwanted pregnancy. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2014 Nov; 38(11):2844-52. PMID: 25336245; PMCID: PMC4245368.
    View in: PubMed, PubMed Central
  27. Roberts S, Biggs MA, Chibber KS, Gould H, Rocca CH, Foster DG. Risk of violence from the man involved in the pregnancy after receiving or being denied an abortion. BMC Med. 2014 Sep 29; 12:144. PMID: 25262880; PMCID: PMC4182793.
    View in: PubMed, PubMed Central
  28. Roberts S, Zahnd E, Sufrin C, Armstrong MA. Does adopting a prenatal substance use protocol reduce racial disparities in CPS reporting related to maternal drug use? A California case study. J Perinatol. 2015 Feb; 35(2):146-50. PMID: 25233193.
    View in: PubMed
  29. Mauldon J, Foster DG, Roberts S. Effect of abortion vs. carrying to term on a woman's relationship with the man involved in the pregnancy. Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2015 Mar; 47(1):11-8. PMID: 25199435.
    View in: PubMed
  30. Harris LF, Roberts S, Biggs MA, Rocca CH, Foster DG. Perceived stress and emotional social support among women who are denied or receive abortions in the United States: a prospective cohort study. BMC Womens Health. 2014 Jun 19; 14:76. PMID: 24946971; PMCID: PMC4080695.
    View in: PubMed, PubMed Central
  31. Avalos LA, Roberts S, Kaskutas LA, Block G, Li DK. Volume and type of alcohol during early pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage. Subst Use Misuse. 2014 Sep; 49(11):1437-45. PMID: 24810392; PMCID: PMC4183196.
    View in: PubMed, PubMed Central
  32. Roberts S, Gould H, Kimport K, Weitz TA, Foster DG. Out-of-pocket costs and insurance coverage for abortion in the United States. Womens Health Issues. 2014 Mar-Apr; 24(2):e211-8. PMID: 24630423.
    View in: PubMed
  33. Chibber KS, Biggs MA, Roberts S, Foster DG. The role of intimate partners in women's reasons for seeking abortion. Womens Health Issues. 2014 Jan-Feb; 24(1):e131-8. PMID: 24439939.
    View in: PubMed
  34. Ingraham N, Roberts S, Weitz TA. Prior family planning experiences of obese women seeking abortion care. Womens Health Issues. 2014 Jan-Feb; 24(1):e125-30. PMID: 24439938.
    View in: PubMed
  35. Drabble L, Thomas S, O'Connor L, Roberts S. State Responses to Alcohol Use and Pregnancy: Findings From the Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS). J Soc Work Pract Addict. 2014 Jan 01; 14(2):191-206. PMID: 24910541.
    View in: PubMed
  36. Roberts S, Rocca CH, Foster DG. Receiving versus being denied an abortion and subsequent drug use. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2014 Jan 01; 134:63-70. PMID: 24183616.
    View in: PubMed
  37. Gould H, Foster DG, Perrucci AC, Barar RE, Roberts S. Predictors of abortion counseling receipt and helpfulness in the United States. Womens Health Issues. 2013 Jul-Aug; 23(4):e249-55. PMID: 23816155.
    View in: PubMed
  38. Roberts S, Bond J, Korcha R, Greenfield TK. Genderedness of bar drinking culture and alcohol-related harms: A multi-country study. Int J Ment Health Addict. 2013 Feb; 11(1):50-63. PMID: 23710158.
    View in: PubMed
  39. Karriker-Jaffe K, Roberts S, Bond J.American Journal of Public Health. Income Inequality, Alcohol Use, and Alcohol-Related Problems. 2013; 2(103).
  40. Foster DG, Kimport K, Gould H, Roberts S, Weitz TA. Effect of abortion protesters on women's emotional response to abortion. Contraception. 2013 Jan; 87(1):81-7. PMID: 23062524.
    View in: PubMed
  41. Roberts S, Avalos LA, Sinkford D, Foster DG. Alcohol, tobacco and drug use as reasons for abortion. Alcohol Alcohol. 2012 Nov-Dec; 47(6):640-8. PMID: 22917755.
    View in: PubMed
  42. Roberts S. Macro-level gender equality and alcohol consumption: a multi-level analysis across U.S. States. Soc Sci Med. 2012 Jul; 75(1):60-8. PMID: 22521679; PMCID: PMC4086912.
    View in: PubMed, PubMed Central
  43. Roberts S. Whether men or women are responsible for size of gender gap in alcohol consumption depends on alcohol measure: A study across U.S. states. Contemp Drug Probl. 2012; 39(2):195. PMID: 23248388.
    View in: PubMed
  44. Roberts, SC.Contemporary Drug Problems. Whether Men or Women are Responsible for the Size of Gender Gap in Alcohol Consumption Depends on Alcohol Measure: A Study Across the United States. 2012; 2(32):195-212.
  45. Roberts S, Nuru-Jeter A. Universal screening for alcohol and drug use and racial disparities in child protective services reporting. J Behav Health Serv Res. 2012 Jan; 39(1):3-16. PMID: 21681593; PMCID: PMC3297420.
    View in: PubMed, PubMed Central
  46. Roberts S, Nuru-Jeter A. Universal alcohol/drug screening in prenatal care: a strategy for reducing racial disparities? Questioning the assumptions. Matern Child Health J. 2011 Nov; 15(8):1127-34. PMID: 21107668; PMCID: PMC3135764.
    View in: PubMed, PubMed Central
  47. Roberts S, Pies C. Complex calculations: how drug use during pregnancy becomes a barrier to prenatal care. Matern Child Health J. 2011 Apr; 15(3):333-41. PMID: 20232126; PMCID: PMC2904854.
    View in: PubMed, PubMed Central
  48. Roberts S. What can alcohol researchers learn from research about the relationship between macro-level gender equality and violence against women? Alcohol Alcohol. 2011 Mar-Apr; 46(2):95-104. PMID: 21239417; PMCID: PMC3104612.
    View in: PubMed, PubMed Central
  49. Bond JC, Roberts S, Greenfield TK, Korcha R, Ye Y, Nayak MB. Gender differences in public and private drinking contexts: a multi-level GENACIS analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2010 05; 7(5):2136-60. PMID: 20623016; PMCID: PMC2898041.
    View in: PubMed, PubMed Central
  50. Roberts S, Nuru-Jeter A. Women's perspectives on screening for alcohol and drug use in prenatal care. Womens Health Issues. 2010 May-Jun; 20(3):193-200. PMID: 20457407; PMCID: PMC2869475.
    View in: PubMed, PubMed Central
  51. Ozer EJ, Fernald LC, Roberts S. Anxiety symptoms in rural Mexican adolescents: a social-ecological analysis. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2008 Dec; 43(12):1014-23. PMID: 19048326.
    View in: PubMed
  52. Thorpe LE, Gwynn RC, Mandel-Ricci J, Roberts S, Tsoi B, Berman L, Porter K, Ostchega Y, Curtain LR, Montaquila J, Mohadjer L, Frieden TR. Study design and participation rates of the New York City Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2004. Prev Chronic Dis. 2006 Jul; 3(3):A94. PMID: 16776895; PMCID: PMC1637802.
    View in: PubMed, PubMed Central