ibis reproductive healthibis reproductive health
site_home about our work publications support links contact
 
fellowship

Fellowship Sites

The Charlotte Ellertson Social Science Postdoctoral Fellowship in Abortion and Reproductive Health takes place at five sites in the United States:

Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health (HDPFH) at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University (New York, NY)

About the Site

Based at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health focuses on reproductive, adolescent, and child health both in settled communities and in communities that have been displaced as a result of political or environmental emergencies. Current areas of research examine social and policy factors affecting contraception and abortion use and services; fertility patterns; adolescent sexuality, including the consequences of abstinence education; maternal mortality; and reproductive health needs in refugee settings; among others. The Department works closely with other research institutions and reproductive health advocacy organizations in New York City.

About the Fellowship Site Director
Wendy Chavkin, MD, MPH, is Professor of Clinical Population and Family Health and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Physicians and Surgeons. She is the immediate past director of the Soros Reproductive Health and Rights Fellowship and chair to the Board of Directors of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health. From 1994 to 2002 she was editor-in-chief of The Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association, and from 1984 to 1988, she served as the director of The Bureau of Maternity Services and Family Planning in New York City’s Department of Health. Dr. Chavkin has written extensively about women’s reproductive health issues for over two decades. Dr. Chavkin’s past research has included public health impacts of restraints on abortion access, the consequences of welfare reform for the health of women and children, occupational hazards to reproduction, reproductive health in medical education, reproductive rights and health issues of HIV-infected and drug-using pregnant women. Most recently, she has been investigating comparative international policy responses to fertility decline. Dr. Chavkin was a 2004-2005 Fulbright New Century Scholar for her research on Fertility Decline and the Empowerment of Women.

Research Areas

A fellow at the Heilbrunn Department could collaborate in several ongoing research projects related to abortion, including examination of the history of public health involvement in Roe v. Wade and the public health defense of abortion and of scientific integrity since Roe v. Wade; international comparative analysis of the social and health consequences of constraints on abortion and of the increasing availability of medication abortion; and an international comparative investigation of the gap between women’s desired and actual number of children and how they achieve this. Other major research foci of the Department include: 

For more information about the researchers at Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health (HDPFH), please click here.

Back to Top

Guttmacher Institute (New York, NY)

About the Site

The Guttmacher Instituteadvances sexual and reproductive health and rights through an interrelated program of social science research, policy analysis, and public education. Its research programs are specifically designed to generate new ideas, encourage enlightened public debate, and promote sound policy and program development. The Institute conducts research on the full range of sexual and reproductive health issues, both in the U.S. and overseas, including a wide range of studies on abortion. In addition to working with world-class researchers on abortion, fellows have the opportunity to interact with the Institute’s public policy staff in Washington, DC, as well as with advocacy groups.

About the Fellowship Site Director

Lawrence B. Finer, PhD, is the Director of Domestic Research at Guttmacher.  He joined the Guttmacher Institute in 1998.  He is responsible for supervising Guttmacher’s domestic research portfolio of projects on family planning services, contraceptive use patterns, abortion, and adolescent reproductive health.  He recently updated estimates of unintended pregnancy in the U.S., and has also authored work on abortion incidence and women's reasons for having abortions, sexual initiation, multiple sexual partnerships, and the services provided by U.S. family planning agencies.  He also serves as a Senior Lecturer in the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.  In 2004, he received the Outstanding Young Professional Award from the Population, Family Planning and Reproductive Health Section of the American Public Health Association.  He received his AB in psychology from Harvard and his PhD in population dynamics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health.  Dr. Finer is the Ellertson Fellowship Site Director at the Guttmacher Institute. 

Stanley K. Henshaw, PhD, is a Senior Fellow at the Guttmacher Institute.  He has authored or co-authored over 60 articles and publications on abortion utilization in the U.S. and internationally, abortion policies and services, teenage pregnancy, unintended pregnancy, and family planning.  With colleagues at the Guttmacher Institute, he conducted two cross-national studies of family planning services and teenage reproductive behavior.  Dr. Henshaw has served as expert witness in numerous legal proceedings involving abortion restrictions.  For six years, he served as member of the board of directors of the National Abortion Federation (NAF) and received the Christopher Tietze Humanitarian Award from that organization.  In 2005, he joined the board of directors of the Abortion Access Project.  Dr. Henshaw holds a PhD in sociology from Columbia University.  Dr. Henshaw is a mentor for the fellow at the Guttmacher Institute.

Research Areas

A fellow based at the Guttmacher Institute would have the opportunity to work on a wide range of abortion-related research. The periodic Guttmacher census of abortion providers, for example, is the most complete and reliable estimate of U.S. abortion incidence, and surveys of abortion patients provide essential information on the reasons for abortion and logistics surrounding the procedure. Internationally, the Institute has updated global and regional estimates of legal and illegal abortion, and collaborates with developing country partners to document the incidence of unsafe abortion and its consequences.  The Guttmacher Institute’s overall areas of research include: 

For more information about the researchers at Guttmacher Institute, please click here. 

Back to Top

Ibis Reproductive Health (Cambridge, MA)

About the Site

Ibis Reproductive Health aims to improve women’s reproductive autonomy, choices, and health worldwide. Ibis accomplishes its mission by conducting original clinical and social science research, leveraging existing research, producing educational resources, and promoting policies and practices that support sexual and reproductive rights and health. Ibis researchers work closely with advocates to conceptualize research questions and to help ensure that the results of research lead to positive change in women’s lives. Ibis focuses on improving access to abortion, expanding contraceptive choices, advancing prevention strategies for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and linking reproductive health and HIV prevention, care, and treatment. In addition to working with researchers at Ibis, fellows will be part of a wider community of researchers, providers, and advocates at Boston area universities, hospitals, clinics, and advocacy organizations.

About the Fellowship Site Director

Deborah Kacanek, ScD, is a Senior Associate with Ibis Reproductive Health. She holds a Doctor of Science in Health and Social Behavior and Master of Science in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health. Prior to joining Ibis she was an NIAID fellow in HIV/AIDS at Tufts-New England Medical School. She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health and Family Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. She has conducted research on physical and sexual assault and HIV risk behaviors among young incarcerated women and men and was a co-investigator for a multi-site CDC-funded STD/AIDS risk reduction trial for young men leaving prison. Dr. Kacanek uses qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate the social determinants of the use of HIV/AIDS prevention technologies (e.g., women-initiated HIV prevention methods, HIV counseling and testing) and HIV care and treatment. Additional research interests include intimate partner violence, health disparities, and the impact of state abortion restrictions on women’s health. She has worked in Thailand, the People’s Republic of China, and Taiwan, and speaks Mandarin and Thai. 

Research Areas

A fellow at Ibis could choose from a wide range of abortion projects around the world. Current work is focused on simplifying medication abortion and eliminating the need for ultrasound in particular; improving access to second trimester abortion in South Africa and comparing the safety and acceptability of second trimester abortion procedures; investigating the impact of US state abortions restrictions on poor women; and evaluating the reproductive health content of medical and nursing education programs,. Ibis staff are also working to link physicians and advocates in Latin America and expand safe provision of abortion in cases where it is legally permitted.  Addtional work includes supporting the introduction of medication abortion into South Africa’s public health sector, and designing and promoting Arabic language medication abortion materials. A growing program of work addresses misoprostol used for abortion, and we are evaluating access and use in Palestine, in Latin America, and among Latinas in the US. 

The work of Ibis staff spans many other reproductive health topics. Our areas of focus include:  

Back to Top

The Department of Population Family and Reproductive Health (PFRH) and the Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (Baltimore, MD)

About the Site

The Department of PFRH and the Gates Institute are part of Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health. The Department of PFRH carries out both international and national research on all aspects of reproductive health. Faculty members have special interest in adolescents and how HIV status influences fertility behavior and intentions. The Gates Institute supports capacity-building efforts in developing countries to improve family planning practice, reproductive health, and population well-being. Its research efforts are focused on the relationship between HIV, fertility, and family planning; contraception and abortion; poverty and reproductive health; adolescent health and development; and men’s reproductive health needs. The Institute brings together academics, program managers, and policymakers to ensure that scholarship and science bring about social change. 

About the Fellowship Site Director

Michelle J. Hindin, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She received her PhD in Sociology at the Johns Hopkins University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Carolina Population Center. Based on her training as a sociologist and demographer, her work focuses on the relationship between household dynamics, gender relations, and demographic outcomes. Her areas of interest include women's international health and development, household gender dynamics, and decision-making autonomy and power. She has published on women’s reproductive and non-reproductive health outcomes in developing nations, with a particular focus on the Philippines, where she is part of a longitudinal survey of women and their children, born in 1984. Ultimately, she’d like her work to enable policy-makers and activists to better address persistent gender inequalities.

Research Areas

There are a number of ongoing projects and opportunities for post-doctoral fellows including several longitudinal cohort studies with rich data on abortion, contraception, unintended pregnancy, and other reproductive health outcomes. Cohort studies in the Philippines and Uganda have collected information on abortion, and a longitudinal surveillance project in Bangladesh has also collected data on abortion. An ongoing multi-country study is focused on the decisions between contraceptive use and pregnancy termination. The faculty conducts research both internationally and domestically. Priority study areas for faculty in the Department include:

For more information about the researchers at the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health please click here. 
For more information about the researchers at The Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, please click here.

Back to Top

Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) (San Francisco, CA)

About the Site

The Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health at UCSF’s School of Medicine, in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, integrates research with training and policy analysis. Its mission is to promote reproductive health, family planning, and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, worldwide through research, training, and policy analysis. Current areas of research include: abortion, family planning, adolescent reproductive health, safe motherhood, and the prevention of STIs, including HIV/AIDS. In addition to the cadre of researchers at the Center, fellows have the opportunity to collaborate with professionals from the surrounding community, including advocates, clinical researchers participating in the Fellowship in Family Planning, and researchers at other Bay Area universities.

About the Fellowship Site Directors

Cynthia Harper, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences. She received her doctorate in Demography and Public Policy from Princeton University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research examines the various ways that health policies and individual behaviors affect reproductive health outcomes, specifically in the area of contraception and unintended pregnancy. She has conducted several studies on access to family planning services, including non-prescription pharmacy access to emergency contraception. Her work in other areas of family planning also weighs the possible benefits and costs of increasing access to services among both existing clients and potential clients. She published one of the first studies on dispensing hormonal contraceptives without a mandatory pelvic examination, and participated in subsequent studies on the topic, including the implications of this practice change for missed morbidity, which have recently helped to update clinical practices so that women can obtain effective contraception without having to undergo unrelated and costly physical examinations. Dr. Harper is the Ellertson Fellowship Site Director at the Bixby Center. 

Philip Darney MD, MSc, is Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at San Francisco General Hospital. He received his undergraduate degree in experimental psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, his MD at UCSF, and his MSc at The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He is board-certified in preventive medicine and obstetrics and gynecology and received his training in these specialties at the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston. He has served on the medical faculties at Harvard University, the Oregon Health Sciences University, and UCSF. Dr. Darney is the author of 200 scientific papers, scholarly reviews, and book chapters on contraception and gynecology and three books on family planning. He has conducted clinical and acceptability trials of implant, injectable, and oral contraceptives, contragestins, and intrauterine devices. Under his direction, the UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health has conducted investigations of contraceptives for The National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control, foundations, and pharmaceutical companies. The Center provides family planning services to teenagers and indigent women in San Francisco, trains gynecologists from all over the world in family planning technology and is the evaluator of California's family planning program. Dr. Darney is an Ellertson Fellowship adviser at the Bixby Center. 

Research Areas

At the Bixby Center, social scientists and gynecologists have collaborated in a number of research areas, in particular on emergency contraception and on delay of abortion. Two additional high priority areas of collaborative research open to a fellow include work exploring the determinants of post abortion contraceptive choice and success and examining the factors that differentiate between adolescent choice of pregnancy termination versus continuation. Other major research projects currently underway include:

For more information about the researchers at Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, please click here.

Back to Top
Home About Us Our Work Publications Support Us Links Contact Us