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 social science 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. 

To address those inequities, 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, and abortion, among others. The division is also home to the Collaborative for Reproductive Equity (CORE), an initiative that supports and translates policy-relevant research on reproductive health, equity, and autonomy in Wisconsin and beyond, and the Reproduction Equity Action Lab, which conducts rigorous and cutting-edge research that identifies key structural inequities that stand in the way of reproductive autonomy across the lifespan. 

Presentations at Department Research Day 2025

On May 15, 2025, the UW Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology hosted Department Research Day, an annual presentation of graduating fellows’ thesis projects, research from members of the Department of Ob-Gyn, and posters showcasing a variety of ob-gyn and reproductive health research.Margareta Pisarska, MD, director of the D... more

Wendland publishes study about maternal mortality misinformation in Global Public Health

Claire Wendland, MD, PhD, professor in the Division of Reproductive and Population Health, co-authored a new study published in Global Public Health. Co-authors include Lynn Morgan.In “Debunking misinformation about abortion-related maternal mortality in Africa,” Wendland and co-authors noted how misinformation in Africa abo... more

Wendland receives 2025 UW Hilldale Award

Each year, the four UW–Madison faculty divisions each recognize one faculty member for their contributions to teaching, research and service with the Hilldale Award. Claire Wendland, MD, PhD, professor in the Departments of Anthropology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, received the Hilldale Award for social sciences. Wendland a... more

Green’s REAL Lab shares policy brief on Birth Cost Recovery

Tiffany Green, PhD, associate professor in the Division of Reproductive and Population Health, recently co-authored a new policy brief on Birth Cost Recovery. Co-authors include Klaira Lerma, MPH, Laura Swan, PhD, LCSW, Eva Strelitz-Block, BA, and Emma Romell, MS. The policy brief was published through Green’s Reproductive Eq... more

Senderowicz quoted in the New Yorker

Leigh Senderowicz, ScD, MPH, assistant professor in the Division of Reproductive and Population Health, was quoted in a recent story published in the New Yorker.In “The End of Children,” Gideon Lewis-Kraus evaluated the decline in global birth rates and the implications this has on the stability of society. Senderowicz was fe... more
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