Higgins reflects on GWIMS/BIRCWH Women’s Health Research Mentorship Award
In late 2024, the UW School of Medicine and Public Health Group on Women in Medicine and Science (GWIMS) presented awards at the annual GWIMS Women in Medicine and Science Leadership Conference. Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, director of the Division of Reproductive and Population Health and the UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity, received the GWIMS and Building Interdiscipl...
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Higgins, Green co-author commentary in Wisconsin Medical Journal
Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, director of the Division of Reproductive and Population Health and the Collaborative for Reproductive Equity, and Tiffany Green, PhD, associate professor in the Division of Reproductive and Population Health, co-authored a new commentary article published in the Wisconsin Medical Journal. Co-authors include Jane Seymour, PhD.In “Abortion Access and B...
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Higgins talks about abortion obstacles with Cap Times
Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, director of the UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity (CORE) and the Division of Reproductive and Population Health, joined the Cap Times for a story about the future of abortion in Wisconsin in light of potential policy changes from the federal level.In “Wisconsin abortion providers brace for another Trump presidency,” Higgins spoke about a CORE ...
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Higgins talks about telehealth abortion with Wisconsin Public Radio
Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, director of the UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity and the Division of Reproductive and Population Health, spoke with Wisconsin Public Radio for a story about the impact of telehealth abortions in Wisconsin.In “Despite state restrictions, Wisconsinites are receiving abortions via telehealth,” Higgins helped explain “shield laws,” which allow cl...
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Higgins, Williamson discuss policy challenges to contraception with Cap Times
Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, director of the UW Collaborative for REproductive Equity (CORE), and Amy Williamson, MPP, associate director of CORE, joined the Cap Times to talk about the implications of potential policy challenges on reproductive health.In “Fearing birth control bans, Wisconsin women begin to plan ahead,” Williamson and Higgins discussed the role local health dep...
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Higgins receives Vilas Faculty Mid-Career Investigator Award
Huge congratulations to Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, director of the Division of Reproductive and Population Health and the Collaborative for Reproductive Equity, who received a Vilas Faculty Mid-Career Investigator Award from the University of Wisconsin–Madison Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research! The Vilas Faculty Mid-Career Investigator Award provides $75,000 in flexi...
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Higgins receives 2024 UW SMPH GWIMS-BIRCWH Women’s Health Research Mentorship Award
Congratulations to Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, director of the Division of Reproductive and Population Health and the UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity! Higgins was selected to receive the 2024 UW School of Medicine and Public Health Group on Women in Medicine and Science (GWIMS) and Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRWCH) Women’s Health Re...
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Higgins discusses Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion law with WXPR
Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, director of the UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity and director of the Division of Reproductive and Population Health, joined WXPR to talk about the future of Wisconsin’s abortion law from 1849.In “WI Supreme Court hears case on 1849 law that could impact abortion in the state,” Higgins discussed the history of abortion legislation in the state...
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Higgins discusses research on self-managed abortions with UPI
Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, director of the UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity (CORE), spoke with United Press International (UPI) for a recent story about research on trends in self-managed abortions since the Dobbs decision in 2022.In “Self-managed abortions increased since Dobbs decision, study indicates,” Higgins spoke tangent to a study done recently analyzing an inc...
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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 postpartum maternal health, infant mortality and minority...
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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 overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022 on Wisconsin birth ...
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Higgins, Green publish editorial in Wisconsin State Journal
UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity and Division of Reproductive and Population Health Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, and associate professor Tiffany Green, PhD, co-authored an article in the Wisconsin State Journal.In “Dobbs forced at least 1,500 unintended births, causing harm to Wisconsin communities”, Higgins and Green cite a nationwide study documenting the effe...
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Higgins authors chapter in new edition of Contraceptive Technology
Division of Reproductive and Population Health and UW Collaborative for Reproductive Health Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, co-authored the sixth chapter in the 22nd edition of Contraceptive Technology. Co-authors of the chapter include Patty Cason, MS, FNP-PC, Jessica N. Sanders, PhD, MSPH.In Chapter Six, “Sexuality and Contraception,” Higgins and co-authors identified di...
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Higgins presents post-Dobbs research perspectives to HHS, NASEM
UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity Director and Division of Reproductive and Population Health Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, brought important perspectives on reproductive health research in a post-Dobbs landscape to two national leadership organizations this fall.In late September 2023, Higgins and UW CORE Research Scientist Jane Seymour, PhD, MPH, presented at a ...
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Higgins, Williamson co-author editorial in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Just before the one-year anniversary of the United States Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, and Associate Director Amy Williamson, MPP, co-authored an opinion in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.In “Even if Wisconsin abortion ban overturned, women will face obstacles to care”, Higgins ...
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In the News: Higgins reflects on abortion access one year after Dobbs decision
As we approach the one-year anniversary of the United States Supreme Court decision in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on June 24, 2023, UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity Director and UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, spoke with news outlets about the consequences of restricted abortion acc...
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Higgins talks contraceptive access issues with Tone
A recent article on Tone Madison covered peoples’ emerging concerns about contraceptive access following the US Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs that struck down Roe v. Wade.In the article “Contraception has a new weight post-Roe in Madison”, UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health and UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MP...
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Jacques publishes study in Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
A new study by Laura Jacques, MD, associate professor in the Division of Academic Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology, uses anonymous posts on social media to document the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on people’s abortion experiences in the United States.““I'm going to be forced to have a baby”: A study of COVID-19 abortion experiences on Reddit”, published in the journa...
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Higgins joins WORT to talk about future of medication abortion in Wisconsin
Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, director of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health and the UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity, spoke with WORT Community Radio in Madison about recent federal court rulings around FDA approval of the drug mifepristone and what it could mean for abortion and miscarriage patients.In “What Now For Medication Abortions?”, Higg...
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Higgins discusses #WeCount survey in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A recent article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel summarizes findings from the Society of Family Planning’s #WeCount report that highlights a marked decline in abortions performed across the United States since the June 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.In “National report finds sharp decline in abortions in the U.S. since Dobbs decision”, UW Ob-Gyn D...
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Jacques, Higgins co-author article in Wisconsin Medical Journal
Laura Jacques, MD, assistant professor in the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn, and Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, director of the UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity and Division of Reproductive and Population Health, are co-authors on a new study in the Wisconsin Medical Journal. Taryn Valley, MA, an MD-PhD student in the UW School of Medicine and Public...
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Cutler, Higgins publish in Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
In new research published in the journal Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, UW Ob-Gyn Assistant Professor Abigail Cutler, MD, UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity and Division of Reproductive and Population Health Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, and co-authors use survey data to examine factors associated with physicians' level of concern and perceived con...
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Higgins talks about crisis pregnancy centers with Cap Times
A recent article in the Cap Times dives into crisis pregnancy centers in Wisconsin and nationwide. “Do crisis pregnancy centers help women or mislead them?” discusses the importance of understanding what crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) are and offer in light of statewide abortion restrictions.Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, director of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Pop...
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Cutler and Higgins talk about impact of abortion restrictions with National Public Radio
A recent story on National Public Radio profiled a Wisconsin woman whose pregnancy plans changed in light of abortion restrictions in the state. UW Ob-Gyn Assistant Professor Abby Cutler, MD, and Division of Reproductive and Population Health and UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity (CORE) Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, both added perspective to the story.Cutler talke...
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CORE researchers publish conference abstracts in Contraception
Faculty, researchers and trainees in the UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity brought posters and presentations to the 2022 Society of Family Planning annual meeting in Baltimore, MD in December. Three abstracts presented at the conference were published in Contraception!Characterizing physician concerns with publicly supporting abortion – AS Cutler, LT Swan, M Lands, NB...
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Swan, Cutler, Higgins in publish study in AJOG
A new article in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology uses data from a 2019 survey of UW SMPH physicians to assess physicians’ understanding of whether contraceptive methods work by causing abortion. Laura Swan, PhD, LCSW, postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Population Health Sciences Green Inequality Lab, is first author on the study.In “Physic...
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In the News: Higgins talks about state of reproductive health care access
Since the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in June 2022, overturning the constitutionally protected right to abortion, UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health and UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH spoke with several news outlets to answer questions...
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Higgins named new Jeanne Bissell Professor in Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice
Please help us congratulate UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity and UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, who was recently named the next Jeanne Bissell Professor in Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice! Higgins and Bissell, longtime supporter of the UW Department of Ob-Gyn, were honored at the first-ever UW Schoo...
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Higgins discusses abortion misinformation with CNN
After the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade in June, misinformation about self-managed abortions has blown up on social media. CNN reporters spoke with experts across the country, including UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity and UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, about self-managed abortion (SMA)...
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In the News: Higgins shares insights in post-Roe reporting
Since the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on June 24, overturning the constitutionally protected right to abortion, UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health and UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH spoke with several news outlets to answer questions a...
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Cutler and Higgins discuss possible impacts of Roe decision on physician training
A recent article in the Wisconsin Examiner investigated potential difficulties for physician training programs after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.“Medical training programs teach abortion procedures. What happens if abortion is outlawed?” outlines the national standards for training set by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), whi...
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Higgins discusses future of abortion research in challenging atmosphere with STAT
A new article in STAT talks to researchers who specialize in reproductive health about what the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 24 decision overturning Roe v. Wade might mean for research about abortion in the future.In “These researchers study abortion in states likely to ban it. That will make their jobs even harder”, UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health and ...
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Women’s Healthcast: The State of Abortion Rights in 2022, with Jenny Higgins, PhD
Sometime in the next few weeks, the United States Supreme Court will issue a decision in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Their decision in this case could have huge effects on abortion legality and abortion access across the country.To share information about today’s landscape of abortion access in Wisconsin, what the Supreme Court decision could mean,...
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Wisconsin Watch interviews UW Ob-Gyn faculty on abortion laws
Wisconsin Watch, a nonprofit news organization, recently published two articles about the complex future of abortion in Wisconsin and physician opinions on why abortion is a necessary part of health care. UW Ob-Gyn faculty shared their expertise in both articles.“Wisconsin faces a ‘tangled series’ of abortion laws dating back to 1849 as it heads into a possible post-Roe futu...
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Higgins talks about physician perspectives on abortion with Here and Now
On Wisconsin Public Television’s Here and Now, UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health Director and UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH shared data from a study of physician opinions on abortion.Higgins joined Here and Now on May 20 to answer questions about how supportive physicians are of abortion access, how they thin...
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Higgins quoted in article about mobile abortion clinics
As questions arise about the future of abortion access in many states, health care providers are pursuing creative solutions to provide abortion care to more patients. In “Abortion care on wheels”, the Wisconsin Examiner profiled Just the Pill, an online, nonprofit clinic that dispenses medication abortion. Just the Pill is working on rolling out mobile clinics in many state...
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Higgins discusses potential impact of US Supreme Court decision on reproductive health care in Wisconsin with WTMJ
UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health Director and UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH spoke with WTMJ about some possible implications for reproductive health care in Wisconsin if Roe v. Wade is overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.In the interview, Higgins fielded questions about whether miscarriage is distinguishabl...
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In the News: Higgins discusses Supreme Court decision and abortion restrictions
Since the May 2 leak of a draft U.S. Supreme Court memo that suggests the court’s intention to overturn Roe v. Wade later this summer, researchers and scholars have shared insights on the current landscape of abortion access in the country, and potential implications for the coming Supreme Court decision.UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity and UW Ob-Gyn Division of Repr...
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Higgins co-authors study in The Lancet Regional Health
A new study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas looks at movement across state lines to obtain abortion care in 2017. UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity and Division of Reproductive and Population Health Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH co-authored the article.“Abortion travel within the United States: An observational study of cross-state movement to ob...
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Study published in AJOG by UW CORE team examines contraceptive satisfaction and sexual side effects
A new study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology uses data from a longitudinal cohort study to examine whether sexual acceptability of a contraceptive method predicts contraceptive satisfaction at three months.“A prospective analysis of the relationship between sexual acceptability and contraceptive satisfaction over time”, by Renee Kramer, PhD, MPH, UW Colla...
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Higgins authors article in Journal of Sex Research
A new article in the Journal of Sex Research by UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive and Population Health and UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity (CORE) Director Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH introduces the concept of “erotic equity” and examines the connections between socioeconomics and sexual wellbeing.In “Socioeconomics and Erotic Inequity: A Theoretical Overview and Narra...
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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