News

Pennsylvania Medicaid Doula Benefit Toolkit

This toolkit was developed by the Pennsylvania Doula Commission in partnership with community members to educate families, Doulas, and policy makers across Pennsylvania about the upcoming Medicaid benefit to cover and reimburse Doulas for the services they provide

Changes in Permanent Contraception Procedures Among Young Adults Following the Dobbs Decision

Drs. Ellison, Brown-Podgorski, and Morgan analyzed TriNetX data and found that permanent contraception not only increased among adults 18-30 following Dobbs, but the increase in procedures for female patients was double that for male patients.

Let’s Talk about Reproductive Justice

Join out team members Drs. Dara Mendez, Sonya Borrero, Mehret Birru Talabi, and Greer Donley as they speak at the Let’s Talk about Reproductive Justice happening next week, April 17th.

Black Maternal Health Week in Harrisburg

Black Maternal Health Week is here! The Pennsylvania Black Maternal Health Caucus will host a series of events in Harrisburg.

My Health in My Hands: Improving Medication Abortion Knowledge and Closing Disparities with a Community-Led Media Intervention

The Georgia Medication Abortion study is co-led by reproductive justice organization SisterLove, Emory-RISE researchers, and Dr. Elizabeth Mosley. The team created a medication abortion educational video for Black and Latinx communities in Georgia. The study found that knowledge and awareness of medication abortion was lower for people of color, younger people, and people living in Georgia. But after viewing the video, most of those disparities disappeared.
 

CONVERGE Seminar: How Racism and Discrimination Impact Black Girl’s Sexual Health

Calling all undergraduate students!

Undergraduate students at Pitt are invited to submit abstracts for the Spring Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression Fair to be held on Monday, April 8 from 5-7 p.m. in the Connolly Ballroom.

Dr. Mehret Birru Talabi receives the 2024 Chancellor's Distinguished Awards!

Dr. Mehret Birru Talabi received the Distinguished Research Award as a Junior Scholar for her contributions to the field of reproductive rheumatology, which led to a new paradigm for addressing reproductive health in vulnerable and high-risk populations.

Preferences and experiences of parents/guardians of youth with epilepsy and intellectual disability on reproductive health counseling

Parents/guardians of adolescents and young adults with epilepsy and intellectual disabilities prefer more frequent, neurologist-initiated, comprehensive conversations surrounding sexual and reproductive health, particularly emphasizing menstruation and sexual abuse recognition/prevention.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38277851/

Help-Seeking Among Pregnant and Postpartum Women With Lifetime Experiences of Opioid Use Disorder and Intimate Partner Violence

Drs. Chang, Krans, and Miller conducted 15 semistructured interviews with pregnant and postpartum women who have experienced opioid use disorder (OUD) and intimate partner violence (IPV). Their team found that
➡️ Partners impacted their ability to seek OUD care
➡️ Seeking help for OUD and IPV was siloed and they wished for integrated services
➡️ They were more comfortable disclosing OUD than IPV
➡️ They perceived pregnancy as a barrier and facilitator to OUD care

Creating Healing-Centered Spaces for Intimate Partner Violence Survivors in the Postpartum Unit: Examining Current Practices and Desired Resources Among Health Care Providers and Postpartum People

Through interviews with postpartum people and health care providers (HCP), Drs. Chang, Miller, and Ragavan explored:

1) How IPV is currently discussed

2) What should be included in IPV interventions

3) How to support those who disclose IPV

4) Implementation barriers and facilitators

This resulted in:

➡️HCPs reported a variety of practices to support survivors

➡️Postpartum people reported not receiving resources or education related to IPV

➡️HCPs identified a need for screening and resource provision

Call for Presenters: Igniting Systems Change: Exploring Strategies for Improving Maternal and Child Health Conference

Healthy Start is looking for presenters for their Igniting Systems Change: Exploring Strategies for Improving Maternal and Child Health Conference on May 30-31, 2024. This in-person educational symposium will promote cross-system collaboration to ensure that everyone can achieve optimum health and wellbeing despite race, economic status, or zip code.

Celebrating & Learning from Our Community: Pittsburgh Reproductive Justice, Reproductive Healthcare, and Reproductive Rights

There is still time to RSVP for next week's conference, Celebrating & Learning from Our Community: Pittsburgh Reproductive Justice, Reproductive Healthcare, and Reproductive Rights.

Dr. Jill Demirci Receives the Diversity in Curriculum Award

Congratulations to Dr. Jill Demirci for receiving the Diversity in Curriculum Award! Dr. Demirci received this award for her curriculum on frontloading lactation with an equity focus to offer undergraduate nursing students a practical and low-pressure learning setting. The course introduces fundamental lactation knowledge, fostering critical thinking and enhancing nursing management skills. The goal is to heighten awareness, comfort, and familiarity among students regarding lactation support for diverse patient groups.

Exploring the Effects of Reproductive Health Policy on the Health of People with Rheumatic Diseases

Dr. Mehret Birru Talabi will speak on February 23rd from 12-1 at the Senior Vice Chancellor's Research Seminar! Join for her lecture on Exploring the Effects of Reproductive Health Policy on the Health of People with Rheumatic Diseases.

Register here: https://pitt.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QebqJ5IyTY-uK1lsTBWZKA#/registration