Congrats to CORE Lab member Brooke Whitfield, whose paper on low contraceptive knowledge among U.S. adolescents and young adults was selected for the Journal of Adolescent Health's 2025 Distinguished Dozen. Great work, Brooke and colleagues! 👏⭐ buff.ly/S95Af7X
Explore the findings: buff.ly/N99m3sU
We’re hiring! Seeking a detail‑oriented program coordinator to support CORE’s research, engagement, dissemination, and training efforts advancing reproductive autonomy in Wisconsin.
🌟 Are you organized, proactive, and mission‑driven? Apply to join us!
🔍 Learn more: go.wisc.edu/COREjob
#ReproJobs
CORE Lab Member Spotlight of Dana Johnson
CORE Lab Member Spotlight of Dana Johnson
CORE Lab Member Spotlight of Dana Johnson
CORE Lab Member Spotlight of Dana Johnson
This week's CORE Lab Member Spotlight is @danamartha.bsky.social, a Health Disparities Research Scholar supporting several CORE projects. Swipe through to learn more about Dana! ⭐️
🔍️ Check out Dana's website to explore more of her work 👇️
www.dana-johnson.com
Stay tuned for the next spotlight! ✨️
Next up in our CORE Lab Spotlight series is Iris Zhao! ✨️ Swipe to learn more about Iris, and find her research here ➡️ buff.ly/speiRqr
🌟🎉 We also extend a special shout-out to Iris and all CORE Lab members for Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week. We are so grateful for our trainees!
The researchers note @apapsychiatric.bsky.social's position: “Freedom to act to interrupt pregnancy must be considered a mental health imperative with major social and mental health implications.”
📄 CORE details how abortion restrictions harm individuals, families, and communities: buff.ly/OUo6T2g
The analysis shared evidence that:
🚗 Longer distance to abortion clinics was linked to greater psychological distress
📊 Mental health threats were highest for those lacking social and healthcare resources, including women of color
😓 Carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term poses mental health risks
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Abortion denial and post‑Dobbs restrictions are harming the mental health of pregnant people, their children, and clinicians – especially for communities with few resources and limited access to health care
A new analysis in @jamapsychiatry.com summarizes the negative mental health effects 🧠 of abortion denial and restrictions for pregnant people, children, and clinicians after the #Dobbs decision.
🔍 Impacts were more severe in states with the most restrictive laws.
#TeachingTuesday
buff.ly/evgoPFA
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In this @us.theconversation.com op-ed, @danamartha.bsky.social (@wisccore.bsky.social) and @lauralindberg.bsky.social (@rutgerssph.bsky.social) break down their research on how teens are accessing abortion pills via telehealth, why it matters, and what further research is needed.
Read their piece:
This week, we highlight CORE Lab member and Reproductive Equity Action Lab (REAL) research associate Brooke Whitfield! ✨️ Swipe through to learn more about Brooke and her research.
Read Brooke's latest study in @jamanetworkopen.com 📝➡️ buff.ly/RqvMxMp
Stay tuned for our next Lab member spotlight! ⭐️
Next up in our CORE Lab Member spotlight ⭐️ is Edwin, a PhD student from the Gender and Women's Studies department here at UW-Madison!
📝 Check out Edwin's research:
ORCID ID👉️ buff.ly/blr0cCi
Google Scholar👉️ buff.ly/NUUaYFo
📢 Check out this article from @msmagazine.com featuring CORE trainee @danamartha.bsky.social! Read Dana's insights on her research about medication abortion, telemedicine, adolescents, and state parental involvement laws (like in Wisconsin).
📝➡️ buff.ly/lDjM8m9
Up next in our CORE Lab Member Spotlights, we highlight Lindsay Cannon @lindsaymcannon.bsky.social! ⭐️ Swipe to learn more about Lindsay, her research, and where to find her work. ✨ Thank you, Lindsay, for everything you do with CORE!
Check in next week ➡️ to discover more about our CORE Lab members!
Today, Gov. Evers signed a bill expanding Medicaid coverage to 12 months postpartum. #Wisconsin joins 48 other states in extending vital healthcare coverage during the first year after pregnancy and birth, an important step toward reducing maternal health risks and improving equity.
🚧 Limited contraceptive knowledge puts adolescents and young adults at risk of adverse sexual and reproductive health outcomes.
💡 Research shows young people prefer clinicians for #contraceptive info but often use digital sources, highlighting the need to improve online education. buff.ly/8ABacp9
The results revealed misconceptions 🤔 about #birthcontrol pills, cycle-tracking apps, and differences between abortion and #contraception.
💬 "There are several urgent misconceptions clinicians need to address ... with adolescents and young adults," Whitfield told @medscape.com: buff.ly/EoTWJgy
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Graphic in white font on blue background with UW CORE logo. Text reads: "Less than half of adolescent girls and young women can accurately answer questions about contraception. Source: Whitfield et al., Journal of Adolescent Health"
CORE lab member Brooke Whitfield's recent study reveals alarmingly low⚠️ contraceptive knowledge among young people. #TeachingTuesday
🔍️ The researchers found that 15-29-year-olds assigned female at birth answered only half of the questions about contraception correctly.
📄 Study: buff.ly/vyt1jOB
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Much of our work is made possible by the incredible trainees in CORE Lab (buff.ly/SrmPU8N). In the coming weeks, we will spotlight ✨️ our lab members. We begin the series with Morgan Robinson, a PhD candidate in Environment and Resources. Swipe through to learn more about Morgan and her research! 🌟
🔍 Want to learn more about telehealth abortion care, shield laws, and barriers to access? 👇🏼
⚖️ Read our latest CORE brief, How shield laws expand abortion access for Wisconsinites: buff.ly/1ZxiCfc
🖥️ Check out our website for the latest information on abortion care in #Wisconsin: buff.ly/O0skRSn
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Despite these (👆🏼) increases, barriers continue to limit abortion access across Wisconsin.🚧 CORE research shows that many Wisconsinites still face significant barriers to getting the abortion care they want due to legal restrictions, cost, travel, or other structural hurdles. More: buff.ly/OhtLe3F
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The latest #WeCount report (buff.ly/T7IBqEO) reveals new findings for abortion care in #Wisconsin:
⬆️ Numbers continue to rise
💻️ Telehealth is playing an increasingly important role
🏥 While most care is still in-person, one-third of recent abortions were via telehealth from shield law providers
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⚖️ This new bill in Wisconsin 👆🏼 would help close that privacy gap to protect people's medical data and address deceptive practices by crisis pregnancy centers.
Learn more about CPCs (there were 60 in Wisconsin as of 2021!) in our CORE brief and infographic:
📄 buff.ly/krk7Gku
🖼️ buff.ly/l7dyDqX
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🏥 CPCs resemble clinics but aren't medical facilities, so they're not legally required to keep clients' information private.
👀 They gather sensitive data through forms, visits, hotlines, and online chats, and have been found to use this data to delay or prevent clients' access to abortion care.
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As many as 15% of Wisconsin women with a history of pregnancy or pregnancy testing have visited a CPC.
CPCs are unregulated organizations that offer counseling, material resources, and other support to pregnant people. Their primary mission is to discourage abortion, not to provide medical care.🚧
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Wisconsin lawmakers have introduced a new bill that would prohibit crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) from disclosing clients’ personal health information without consent.
⚠️📋️ This change would protect the sensitive data of hundreds of Wisconsinites every year.
🔍 Read more: buff.ly/acmy6Ov
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Evidence indicates that telehealth medication abortion from out-of-state shield-law providers has become a fundamental access point for many Wisconsinites — especially given our state’s multiple restrictions that make in-person care hard to access.
📝🔍️ Read more in a new CORE brief: buff.ly/1ZxiCfc
🎉 Congrats to CORE trainee @danamartha.bsky.social on a new publication in @jamahealthforum.com! The study reveals that teens in states with parental involvement laws, like WI, are more likely to seek medication abortion via online telemedicine than those in states without such laws.
The 👆🏼 findings:
🚧 Emphasize the unique challenges disabled individuals face in accessing contraceptive care that aligns with their preferences.
🩺 Call for tailored, person-centered approaches to contraceptive care to help bridge gaps in care for this underserved population.
#TeachingTuesday
💡 Big picture: Nearly 1 in 5 reproductive-age women in the U.S. live with a disability.
The recent study:
🔍 Finds that disabilities are associated with unmet contraceptive wants and needs.
🏥 Describes how historical and ongoing ableism in healthcare compounds this issue.
📝 Read more ⬇️
A recent study found notable differences in contraceptive satisfaction and preferences between disabled and nondisabled individuals. Significantly more disabled people:
🛑 Stopped their contraceptive method due to dissatisfaction
💰 Say that they would use a different method if cost were not a barrier
📢 New from CORE 📢
#Wisconsin law prohibits abortion via telehealth within the formal healthcare system, but shield laws provide an alternative way to access that care.
⚖️ A CORE brief explains how thousands in WI have turned to out‑of‑state clinicians protected by shield laws.
📝 Read: buff.ly/0ywsxJX
