Sexual & Reproductive Health
Our Work in Sexual and Reproductive Health
The Hubert Department of Global Health’s work in the sexual and reproductive health spans gender-based and intimate-partner violence, family planning and reproductive rights, and infectious and noncommunicable diseases.
Sexual and Reproductive Health Topics
Gender-based violence refers to physical, sexual, and psychological harm inflicted on individuals based on their gender. It disproportionately affects women and marginalized groups and includes issues such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Various Hubert Department of Global Health faculty members are dedicated to investigating and addressing the root causes of gender-based violence to prevent and change harmful societal norms.
Contraception, family planning, and reproductive rights empower individuals to make informed choices about if and when to have children. These efforts focus on equitable access to contraception, abortion, fertility care, and unbiased services, addressing systemic barriers for marginalized communities. Promoting reproductive justice improves maternal and child health, economic stability, and gender equality and is the focus of much research within the Hubert Department of Global Health.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) encompass a range of infections transmitted through sexual contact, including HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and HPV. The work of Hubert Department of Global Health faculty targets prevention through education, access to barrier methods like condoms, vaccination, and early diagnosis and treatment to reduce transmission and long-term complications. Addressing stigma and ensuring equitable care are critical for controlling the spread of STIs.
Cervical and reproductive cancers, such as ovarian and uterine cancers, are significant public health concerns. Efforts in this area focus on prevention through vaccination, early detection via screening programs, and improving access to treatment and survivorship care. The Hubert Department of Global Health has many faculty members whose work intersects where infectious disease meets noncommunicable diseases.
Our Faculty Working in Sexual and Reproductive Health
Faculty address major global challenges like policy restrictions, gender-based violence, and vaccine uptake, combining cutting-edge research with practical interventions.
Subasri Narasimhan, PhD
Narasimhan’s work spans various topics in sexual and reproductive health, including studying the impact of policy restrictions on abortion provision and contraceptive use on the health and well-being of people capable of pregnancy.
Bob Bednarczyk, PhD
Bednarczyk works primarily in the areas of adolescent and adult vaccination and focuses on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination uptake at first opportunity. As part of his work with the HPV Vaccination Roundtable of the Southeast, he is helping to create a toolkit for states to develop their own cervical cancer elimination plan.
Kathryn Yount, PhD
Yount researches the social determinants of women’s health and employs mixed-methods evaluations of social norms and empowerment-based programs to reduce gender-based violence and health disparities in underserved communities. With universities across Vietnam, Yount is leading an NIH-funded national implementation trial of GlobalConsent, a web-based edutainment program to prevent sexual violence behavior among male students.
Spotlight on GEMMA
The Global Elimination of Maternal Mortality from Abortion (GEMMA) seminar addresses medical, legal, ethical, human rights, and religious perspectives on abortion with exercises on values clarification and effective communication. Since its inauguration it has gained popularity and attracted students from various cultural and educational backgrounds to study abortion.
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