Reproductive and Population Health

Senderowicz published in Population and Development Review
Health Disparities Research Scholar Leigh Senderowicz, ScD is lead author on a new publication in the journal Population and Development Review!In “Supply-Side Versus Demand-Side Unmet Need: Implications for Family Planning Programs”, Senderowicz summarizes different critiques of the “unmet need” measure, suggests a modification to the indicator, and uses data from the Demog...
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Green shares insight on postpartum depression disparities in Essence
A recent article in Essence profiled the founders of an app to support Black mothers with postpartum depression and anxiety. In the article, Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, discussed how provider bias and communication issues may lead to underdiagnosis of postpartum depression for Black women:““…the evidence strongly sugge...
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Higgins, Senderowicz publish study in Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
A new study in the journal Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health by UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH and Health Disparities Research Scholar Leigh Senderowicz, ScD examines connections between economic resources and sexual wellbeing.“Sex, poverty, and public health: Connections between sexual wellbeing and eco...
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Green published in Journal of Women’s Health
A new publication co-authored by Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, examines connections between experiences of racial discrimination and postpartum depression.“Are Experiences of Racial Discrimination Associated with Postpartum Depressive Symptoms? A Multistate Analysis of Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System Data”, p...
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Green receives Wisconsin Partnership Program New Investigator grant
Huge congratulations to Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health! Green recently earned a Wisconsin Partnership Program New Investigator grant for the project “Evaluating the Impacts of Wisconsin’s Birth Cost Recovery Policy on the Health and Wellbeing of Low-Income Black Birthing Parents: A Community-Centered Approach”.In Wisconsin...
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CORE study published in SSM – Population Health
A study in the latest issue of SSM – Population Health examines physicians’ knowledge of referral for abortion care. UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, as well as former UW Ob-Gyn members Cynthie Wautlet, MD and Nicholas Schmuhl, PhD, are co-authors on the study. “Willing but unable: Physicians' referral knowledge as barriers to abortion ca...
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Green discusses perinatal care coordination issues with Wisconsin Public Radio
In January 2022, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published an investigation into prenatal care coordination companies in the Milwaukee area (note: article available to MJS subscribers only). On February 3, Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, joined The Morning Show on Wisconsin Public Radio to discuss the investigation, and wha...
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Senderowicz’s studies guide MSF contraceptive guidelines
Health Disparities Research Scholar Leigh Senderowicz, ScD, recently shared an incredible example of academic work having real-world impact – in this case, world-wide impact!Senderowicz is an accomplished researcher with a particular interest in contraceptive autonomy: the idea that people should have free, full, informed choice about whether to use contraception, and which ...
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Green publishes Perspective piece in New England Journal of Medicine
How can economic principles help inform public health policy and address racial health disparities? Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health answers that question in a Perspective article in the New England Journal of Medicine.“Trade-offs and Policy Options — Using Insights from Economics to Inform Public Health Policy” highlights t...
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HDRS scholar Huynh earns Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment seed grant
Congratulations to Tuyen Huynh, PhD, postdoctoral trainee in the Health Disparities Research Scholar program! Huynh recently earned a Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment Seed Grant.Huynh’s seed grant will support the project “Promoting Family Resilience: Examining Racial/Ethnic Minoritized Parents' Reflective Capacities”, in collaboration with Larissa Duncan, PhD, associate pro...
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Study from CORE investigator Nobles published in PNAS
A new study by UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity investigator Jenna Nobles, PhD found that 22% of menstrual cycle tracking apps users had irregular cycles. Cycle irregularities may mean delays in learning about pregnancies and challenges accessing abortion, depending on state-level restrictions. Nobles is a professor in the UW-Madison Department of Sociology and direc...
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HDRS postdoc Huynh receives Prevention Research Center grant
The UW-Madison Prevention Research Center recently awarded the latest round of small grants, and UW Ob-Gyn Health Disparities Research Scholar Tuyen Huynh, PhD is one of the recipients!Huynh earned a grant for the project “A Community-Based Pilot Feasibility Study to Adapt the CHIME+ Program to Build Resilience Among Minoritized Families”, her project with Dr. Holly Hatton-...
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Higgins and Jacques publish in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
A recent article published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health by UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, Laura Jacques, MD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn, and co-authors, used anonymized data from an online forum to examine how cost-related barriers affect peoples’ ability ...
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Green discusses Momnibus Act and wealth inequality with In These Times
A new article published by In These Times examines how the federal Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, a package of legislation aimed at closing Black maternal health disparities, could improve lives in Wisconsin.In “The Momnibus Act Protects Wisconsin’s Black Babies from a Premature Death”, UW Ob-Gyn Assistant Professor Tiffany Green, PhD, of the Division of Reproductive an...
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HPV research from UW Ob-Gyn cited in PBS News Hour article
Misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines is abundant. One of the most pernicious myths – that COVID-19 vaccines can cause infertility – may be deterring people from getting the vaccine. (Michael Beninati, MD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, already dispelled that myth on a recent episode of the Women’s Healthcast!)Making up fertility concerns is a common ...
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Green’s course “Race in American Obstetrics and Gynecology” approved for medical school curriculum
Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, will teach a new course to students in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. “Race in American Obstetrics and Gynecology” will mainly be offered to M3s.Green’s innovative course sounds incredible:“Opportunity for medical students to survey the history of race in American obstetrics an...
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Green discusses ethics of deprioritizing care for unvaccinated patients with Wisconsin Examiner; Wisconsin Public Radio
As the Delta variant caused COVID-19 cases to surge across the country last summer, the ensuing rise in hospitalizations and deaths stretched the healthcare system in many states beyond capacity. In Texas, a physician group discussed the ethics of deprioritizing the unvaccinated. Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, discussed ...
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Save the Dates: UW Ob-Gyn 2022 Research Events
Save the dates for three UW Department of Ob-Gyn research events in 2022:February 24, 2022 - Resident Research DayFeaturing a keynote presentation by Lisa Hollier, MD, MPH, professor of ob-gyn at Baylor College of Medicine and former president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Resident research presentations by PGY-4 residents John Poehlmann, MD, an...
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Gynecologic Oncology
Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Reproductive and Population Health
Education
Research
Residency
Fellowship
Events
Collaborative for Reproductive Equity
Jenny Higgins
Jennifer Jacobson
Laura Jacques
Ushma Patel
Daniel Pellicer
John Poehlmann
Shannon Rush
Vienna Tran
Matthew Wagar
Jordan Ward

Higgins publishes in SSM – Population Health
A publication currently available online in the journal SSM – Population Health examines physicians’ knowledge of referral for abortion care. UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, as well as former UW Ob-Gyn members Cynthie Wautlet, MD and Nicholas Schmuhl, PhD, are co-authors on the study.“Willing but unable: Physicians' referral knowledge as...
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Higgins talks about US Supreme Court case Dobbs v Jackson on NBC15
In early December, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case involving a Mississippi state law that banned abortions after 15 weeks. UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity Director Jenny Higgins, PhD spoke with NBC-15 about what that case could mean for abortion access in Wisconsin. A decision in the case is exp...
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Green presents to Duke Center for Child and Family Policy
Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, presented to the Duke University Center for Child and Family Policy on October 28, 2021, as part of the center’s Early Childhood Initiative series. Green’s presentation “Income Gains, Pregnancy-Related Health, and Birth Outcomes: Evidence from the Marcellus Shale Economic Boom” was summarize...
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Green discusses health care disparities with Brava Magazine
Wisconsin has some of the starkest disparities in health outcomes between Black and white moms and babies. In an article in Brava Magazine, Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, joined other community leaders who are working to understand and address health disparities in Madison and Dane County.
In “Tackling Health Care Dispar...
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Higgins to lead Division of Reproductive and Population Health
The UW Department of Ob-Gyn is pleased to announce that Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH will assume the role of Director of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, effective September 1, 2021.
Dr. Higgins joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Gender and Women’s Studies in 2012. In 2017, she joined our Department of Obstetric...
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Grand Rounds: Heisler and Higgins present Equity Badger Bytes
On July 15, 2021, researchers in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn presented a Badger Bytes research Grand Rounds.
Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, of the Division of Reproductive and Population Health, presented “Economics and Erotic Inequity: Poverty and Sexual Wellbeing.” During her presentation, Higgins defined erotic equity and shared main findings from the literature and a new empi...
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Women’s Healthcast: Senderowicz discusses global reproductive health
Reproductive health care trends, norms and policies in the United States shape global reproductive health in a big way. UW Ob-Gyn Health Disparities Research Scholar Leigh Senderowicz, ScD, MPH joined the Women’s Healthcast to talk about the roots of international family planning programs, how to recognize reproductive coercion, and why we should pay attention to the way U.S...
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Senderowicz published in BMJ Global Health
Health Disparities Research Scholar Leigh Senderowicz, ScD, MPH published a new study in BMJ Global Health!
The article “‘I haven’t heard much about other methods’: quality of care and person-centredness in a programme to promote the postpartum intrauterine device in Tanzania” used in-depth, qualitative interviews with pregnant people seeking antenatal care at five Tanzania...
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Senderowicz talks reproductive coercion with The Lily
Health Disparities Research Scholar Leigh Senderowicz, ScD, MPH shared insights on the history of reproductive coercion in the United States in an article from The Lily about revelations from Britney Spears’ conservatorship hearing.
In the article, Senderowicz discussed the different levels at which reproductive coercion can occur, with a focus on the systemic:
“Reproducti...
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Study by UW CORE researchers published in Contraception
A new study in Contraception uses data from a survey of UW School of Medicine and Public Health physicians to assess physician support for abortion access and abortion providers. The study also examines physicians’ perceptions of their peers’ attitudes towards abortion and abortion providers.
“Physician attitudes about abortion and their willingness to consult in abortion c...
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HDRS postdoc Tran Smith receives AHEAD grant
Congratulations to Health Disparities Research Scholar Bikki Tran Smith, PhD, who earned a 2021 Advancing Health Equity and Diversity (AHEAD) Pilot Program grant from the UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research! Tran Smith received the AHEAD grant for the project “In Our Own Voice: The Narrative Experiences of Latina Immigrants in Navigating Access to Healthcare...
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Huynh receives Undergraduate Research Scholars Exceptional Mentorship Award
Congratulations to UW Ob-Gyn Health Disparities Research Scholar Tuyen Huynh, PhD, MS, who received the Undergraduate Research Scholars (URS) Exceptional Mentorship Award for the 2020-21 academic year!
As part of the URS program, Huynh mentors and trains early undergraduate students at UW-Madison through research and creative practices. Over the years, the program has demon...
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Green discusses reimagining health care with PBS Wisconsin
During Black Maternal Health Week in April, UW Ob-Gyn Assistant Professor Tiffany Green, PhD discussed maternal health disparities in Wisconsin, and how to change them, with PBS Wisconsin. In addition to her appointment in the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, Green is part of the UW-Madison Department of Population Health Sciences faculty.
In the ar...
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Higgins published in JAMA Internal Medicine
A new study co-authored by UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity Director Jenny Higgins, PhD and published in JAMA Internal Medicine examines the association of sexual satisfaction and self-reported sexual acceptability with continued contraceptive use over time.
“Association Between Patients’ Perceptions of the Sexual Acceptability of Contraceptive Methods and Continued...
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Green, Brown offer commentary on maternal health equity in Obstetrics and Gynecology
In this must-read commentary in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health and Heidi Brown, MD, of the Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery suggest new approaches to eliminating Black maternal health disparities in the U.S.
“Rethinking Bias to Achieve Maternal Health Equity: Changin...
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Rice, Higgins make case for health care provider proficiency with contraceptives in Health Affairs blog
UW Ob-Gyn Department Chair Laurel Rice, MD, and UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, co-authored an article for Health Affairs outlining the reasons it’s critical that health care providers seek out accurate information on contraceptive care.
Inaccuracies or misunderstandings about how birth control works shape public perception and affect he...
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Green discusses Black maternal health outcomes on WPR
On April 14, 2021, during Black Maternal Health Week, Tiffany Green, PhD joined The Morning Show on Wisconsin Public Radio to discuss Black maternal health outcomes. Green is an assistant professor in the UW Departments of Ob-Gyn and Population Health Sciences.
During the interview, Green discussed the broader, systemic inequalities that drive disparities in Black maternal ...
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Green reframes vaccine disparities with WKOW
Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, continues to add important context to conversations around inequities exposed by COVID-19.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, just over 28% of white Wisconsinites have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, but that’s only true for 11.5% of Black Wisconsini...
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Green joins WKOW’s Capital City Sunday to reflect on pandemic anniversary
One year after Wisconsin’s first pandemic-related emergency order, Tiffany Green, PhD joined Capital City Sunday on WKOW in Madison to talk about lasting lessons from this pandemic that could carry forward to future public health crises.
On Sunday, March 14, 2021, Green discussed the ways the pandemic highlighted structural inequities in the U.S., and what she hopes will be...
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Green to appear on CDE Demography Seminar March 9
Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, will offer comment on the UW-Madison Center for Demography and Ecology’s Demography Seminar on Tuesday, March 9 at 12:15pm. Green will respond to the presentation “Covering Undocumented Immigrants: The Effect of a Large-Scale Prenatal Care Intervention” by Associate Professor Laura Wherry, P...
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Schmuhl and Antony co-author article in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
A new article in the journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth examines prenatal care experiences for women with obesity. Medical student Danielle Hurst is lead author on the article, with co-authors Nicholas Schmuhl, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive Sciences and Katie Antony, MD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
“Prenatal care experiences amon...
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Green joins Badger Talks to discuss vaccine equity
Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, joined Veronica Rueckert of UW-Madison Communications on a recent Badger Talks to discuss inequities in COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Wisconsin.
In the interview, Green outlined disparities in COVID incidence and severity in Wisconsin, and a mismatch in who has access to the COVID vaccin...
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Higgins publishes on contraceptive satisfaction in Journal of Sex Research
Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, director of the UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity and member of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, published a new study in the Journal of Sex Research.
“Sexual Functioning, Satisfaction, and Well-Being Among Contraceptive Users: A Three-Month Assessment From the HER Salt Lake Contraceptive Initiative” followed new ...
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Green discusses Black Maternal Health Momnibus on WPR
Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, appeared on the Wisconsin Public Radio program Central Time to discuss the federal Black Maternal Health Momnibus legislation, along with Wisconsin Congresswoman Gwen Moore.
In the interview, Green talked about Wisconsin’s maternal mortality and preterm birth inequities, and speculation abo...
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Green discusses federal Momnibus legislation on WORT, Wisconsin Public Radio
Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, joined WORT Community Radio in Madison to offer insight on the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021, including the Perinatal Workforce Act introduced by Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin and Congresswoman Gwen Moore.
In the interview, Green offers additional perspective on the Perinatal...
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Health Disparities Research Scholars recruiting new scholar
The Health Disparities Research Scholars program, a postdoctoral training program in the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, currently has an opening for a postdoctoral trainee.
The goals of the Health Disparities Research Scholars (HDRS) Training Program are to foster training opportunities for the next generation of investigators within health dispar...
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Grand Rounds: Badger Bytes on opioids and women’s health
On Thursday, January 7, a multidisciplinary group presented Badger Bytes Grand Rounds lectures as part of the presentation “The Multiple Dimensions of Opioid Use for Women’s Health.” The session was moderated by UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health Director Deborah Ehrenthal, MD, MPH.
Erin Nacev, MD/MPH student in the UW SMPH started off with “Prenatal O...
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Green included on list of 1,000 inspiring Black scientists
Congratulations to Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health! Green was included in a list of “1,000 inspiring Black scientists in America”, published by Cell Press.
Green, who has a joint appointment with the UW-Madison Department of Population Health Sciences, made the list as part of the Rising Stars category. With her focus on m...
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Higgins, Schmuhl, Wautlet, Rice publish in American Journal of Public Health
Findings from a UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity study on how doctors view access to abortion has been published in the December issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
In the research-based editorial “The Importance of Physician Concern and Expertise in Increasing Abortion Health Care Access in Local Contexts”, Jenny Higgins, PhD, Nicholas Schmuhl, PhD, Cynt...
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Green gives McMaster University Labelle Lecture
Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, delivered the McMaster University Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis Labelle Lecture on November 11, 2020!
In the lecture “Saving Black Women and Babies: Leveraging Data and Community Engagement to Achieve Health Equity”, Green provided an overview of maternal and child health ...
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Senderowicz earns PRC grant
UW Ob-Gyn Health Disparities Research Scholar Leigh Senderowicz, ScD, MPH, earned a grant from the UW-Madison Prevention Research Center for the project “Understanding Structural Barriers To Contraceptive Autonomy Among Low-Income Black African Women In The Global South: An Exploratory Study.” The grants support research regarding maternal and child health, and health equity...
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Higgins discusses CORE research on Wide Awake in Wisconsin podcast
On the final episode of Wide Awake in Wisconsin, a podcast from the Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health, UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH appeared to discuss UW CORE research on policy impacts!
In the interview, Higgins talks about ongoing CORE research, and how CORE projects help inform policy decisions and development in Wisconsi...
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Ehrenthal published in Pediatrics
UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health and UW-Madison Prevention Research Center Director Deborah Ehrenthal, MD, MPH, published a new study in the journal Pediatrics.
“Infant Mortality in Rural and Nonrural Counties in the United States”, co-authored by Hsiang-Hui Daphne Kuo and Russell S. Kirby, uses a social-ecological framework to explain infant mortali...
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Women’s Healthcast: Green discusses economic policy and health
Economic policy has a significant effect on our individual health. And policies are not always equitable.
Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, joined the Women's Healthcast to discuss ways systems and structures affect health: how health and economic security are cyclically linked, how COVID-19 has highlighted many structural ...
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Green writes about health disparities and election platforms in Medical News Today
Health care and reproductive health are important issues for many voters heading into the 2020 presidential election. In Medical News Today, Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, evaluates policy platforms in terms of how they might affect maternal and infant health disparities.
“What will the US election mean for Black-white d...
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Green co-chairs Black Maternal and Child Health Alliance of Dane County
Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health and UW-Madison Department of Population Health Sciences, was recently announced as co-chair of the Black Maternal and Child Health Alliance of Dane County. Congratulations, Dr. Green!The group will focus on improving rates of low birth weight and infant mortality for Black babies in Dane Coun...
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Higgins published in Contraception
UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity Director Jenny Higgins, PhD published the article “Beyond Safety and Efficacy: Sexuality-Related Priorities and Their Associations with Contraceptive Method Selection” in Contraception!In the study, Higgins and colleagues assessed contraceptive preferences in people selecting new methods, and gauged whether (and to what degree) sexual...
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Brown, Schmuhl published in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Heidi Brown, MD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, and Nicholas Schmuhl, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, published the article “After the Randomized Trial: Implementation of Community‐Based Continence Promotion in the Real World” in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society!The study gat...
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Green publishes op-ed on implicit bias trainings in Scientific American
Tiffany Green, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health, co-authored an editorial in Scientific American on the difference between intent and impact of implicit bias training.In “The Problem with Implicit Bias Training”, Green argues that, though implicit bias training is often a go-to option for organizations working to address racism, we lack th...
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