Division of Reproductive and Population Health

The Division of Reproductive and Population Health (“Pop Health”), founded 2017, is committed to improving reproductive health, wellbeing, and equity through high-quality research and evidence-based programs. Our work recognizes that health is influenced not just by individual-level factors or healthcare service delivery, but also by the social and socioeconomic contexts in which people live. Reproductive health inequities overwhelmingly stem from these latter sociocultural factors, and we endeavor to address those inequities only with broader approaches, rigorous public health and social scientific methodologies, and community-informed perspectives.

Members of this division conduct rigorous research, provide leadership to several public health initiatives, partner with diverse stakeholders, and endeavor to translate research into policy and practice through dissemination and implementation. Topic areas include birth equity, contraception, pregnancy and family planning, abortion, and other health disparities. The division is also home to the Collaborative for Reproductive Equity (CORE) an initiative that supports and translates rigorous, policy-relevant research on reproductive health, equity, and autonomy in Wisconsin and beyond.

Our greatest strength exists within our diverse partnerships. Faculty and staff in the division collaborate with professionals across the UW-Madison campus. Connections include the Department of Anthropology Department of Gender and Women’s StudiesDepartment of Population Health Sciences, the School of Nursing, the UW-Madison Prevention Research Center, the Center for Demography and Ecology, and the La Follette School of Public Affairs.

Reproductive and Population Health Division News

Green honored at UW–Madison Outstanding Women of Color Awards Ceremony

On March 7, 2024, the UW–Madison Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement hosted the Outstanding Women of Color Awards. Tiffany Green, PhD, associate professor in the Division of Reproductive and Population Health and the Department of Population Health Sciences, was one of six recipients honored at the cerem... more

Higgins to lead panel on reproductive health at Ripon College, March 21

UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, will co-lead a panel discussion at Ripon College titled “The State of Women’s Health in Wisconsin​” on March 21, 2024. The in-person event begins at 6:30pm.Discussion topics include reproductive health, chronic health conditions, depression and postpar... more

Green to be honored at Outstanding Women of Color reception on March 7

Tiffany Green, PhD, associate professor in the Division of Reproductive and Population Health and the School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Population Health Sciences! Green is one of six recipients of the 2023 University of Wisconsin–Madison Outstanding Women of Color Awards. Green’s award was announced last Nov... more

Green, Higgins cited in WPR article about Wisconsin birth rates

​Tiffany Green, PhD, associate professor in the Division of Reproductive and Population Health, and Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, professor and director of the UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity and Division of Reproductive and Population Health, were cited in a recent Wisconsin Public Radio story about the effects of overtu... more

Senderowicz publishes in Studies in Comparative International Development

Leigh Senderowicz, ScD, MPH, assistant professor in the Division of Reproductive and Population Health, co-authored a new article published in Studies in Comparative International Development. Co-authors include Taryn Valley, MA.In “Fertility Has Been Framed: Why Family Planning Is Not a Silver Bullet for Sustainable Developm... more