CONVERGE at The University of Pittsburgh

Flyer for the Reproductive Research Advisory Board (RRAB) of CONVERGE and EMBRACE at The University of Pittsburgh. The flyer includes a QR code that leads to https://docs.google.com/document/d/18-CCNHn1skBb38wmy880pez3ylpFSgNEU_zbzXICTFY/edit?usp=sharing

Do you live in Southwestern PA and want to shape future reproductive health research? Join our Reproductive Research Advisory Board! No research experience is required—just a willingness to share. Email us or visit the link below to learn more + involved! docs.google.com/document/d/1... #pittsburgh

CONVERGE is horrified and heartbroken to hear of the death of Tierra Walker, a 37 year old from San Antonio, Texas who died after being denied lifesaving abortion care. Tierra’s story is difficult for anyone to read, but we know it is especially painful for anyone who has experienced the same injustices Tierra and her family faced during her pregnancy. Source: Parra, K. S., Lizzie Presser, and Lexi. (2025, November 19). “Ticking time bomb”: A pregnant mother kept getting sicker. She died after she couldn’t get an abortion in texas. ProPublica.

Stories like Tierra’s should never exist, but we know they are far too common. In the United States, Black birthing people are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than their white counterparts – a disparity created, in part, by structural and medical racism and policy failures. Source: Hoyert, D. (2023). Maternal mortality rates in the United States, 2021. National Center for Health Statistics (U.S.). https://doi.org/10.15620/cdc:124678

Knowing that most of these deaths, including Tierra’s, are preventable is what drives us at CONVERGE to work towards a world in which all people are able to access the reproductive health care they need when they need it. Research by our team is working urgently to understand the policies and systems that lead to adverse reproductive health outcomes and to provide evidence that drives meaningful change.

For example, CONVERGE faculty are documenting how reproductive-health policies shape the health of people with chronic disease, Medicaid coverage of medically necessary abortions reduces severe maternal morbidity, The vagueness in abortion definitions and ban exceptions is having deadly effects.

We are heartbroken by the death of #TierraWalker, a 37-year-old Texan who @propublica.org just reported died after being denied lifesaving abortion care. Read our full statement on her story and the structural failures behind her preventable death at www.converge.pitt.edu/news/converg...

My latest article, “A Non-Person Theory of the Fetus,” is finally online (forthcoming in Boston College Law Review). I have been thinking about this paper’s very tricky question for nearly 4 years, and I’m relieved it’s finally out in the world. 🧵👇 papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Image of hand holding box that says "Mifepristone Tablets 200mg". Below is text that reads "New Publication: State Mifepristone Regulation Following GenBioPro v Raynes", followed by author's names.

In a recent @jama.com viewpoint, CONVERGE’s @greerdonley.bsky.social + colleagues breakdown how 2 legal cases about mifepristone could have broad implications for FDA authority, state drug regulation, and biomedical innovation long term. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
#fda #mifepristone #research

The Bridge Podcast- Episode 8, The Embodied Storyteller (Co-host: Martina) YouTube video by Narrative Rx

In the latest episode of "The Bridge: where medicine meets the arts" podcast @embracecenter.bsky.social 's Martina Anto-Ocrah joins hosts for a powerful conversation about how narrative, culture, and policy shape maternal care in the US and globally! #podcast #MCH
www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_mz...

Curious what the 4th Circuit's opinion in GenBioPro v. Raynes means for state mifepristone regulation? Check out my new piece with @pzettler.bsky.social & Lewis Grossman in JAMA. We argue that preemption arguments are not dead, even though the court upheld WVA's abortion ban. 1/2

State Mifepristone Regulation Following GenBioPro v Raynes This Viewpoint discusses the GenBioPro v Raynes decision and what it could mean for other cases challenging medication abortion restrictions on preemption grounds.

Indeed, the 4th Circuit will be deciding another preemption case (Bryant v. Stein) soon, which challenges North Carolina's medication abortion laws. We argue that the preemption arguments in this case are stronger & the case may come out differently. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

New research from CONVERGE's, Dr. Sonya Borrero reveals that US veteran's contraceptive use is associated with the quality of contraceptive counseling received. Revealing the important role that access to comprehensive counseling plays in shaping contraceptive use & choice. lnkd.in/enFSd4uY

New research from CONVERGE finds that men with cystic fibrosis receive limited sexual health counseling and are less likely to reporting using safer sex practices than those without CF. Learn how providers can support their patient’s sexual health needs: www.cysticfibrosisjournal.com/article/S156...

When studying sensitive topics like sexual and intimate partner violence, a staff burnout prevention and mitigation protocol isn’t just helpful, it’s essential.

Read more about Dr. Jakubowski and Dr. Dauria's work here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

CONVERGE members Dr. Deirdre Quinn, Shannon Mitchell, and Dr. Mehret Birru Talabi co-authored an article in ACR Open Rheumatology that highlights severe maternal morbidity (SMM) among veterans with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Read it here: lnkd.in/eXEr-dPY

Medicaid patients made up 65% of pregnancy-related deaths in SC. Doulas could help Medicaid covers 60% of births in South Carolina, but Medicaid patients also made up 65% of pregnancy-related deaths in 2021. One study is researching how doulas can be a possible solution.

What involves 6 states, 6 Medicaid programs, and CONVERGE Faculty Dr. Marian Jarlenski? The answer: 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌.

While only in its 3rd year, Dr. Jarlenski's 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘋𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘔 has made headlines for the work being done.
Read an article on it here: bit.ly/45VqCu7

#WBW2025 Breastfeeding support isn’t just a hospital or early postpartum issue, it’s crucial when parents return to work and use childcare. Read Dr. Jill Demirci’s research on the daily tensions around breastfeeding in the US Childcare centers. doi.org/10.1017/S136...

Research by CONVERGE’s Dr. Marian Jarlenski, Sabnum Pudasainy, MS, and Dr. Elizabeth Krans highlights that longer duration and higher dose of buprenorphine treatment during pregnancy were associated w/ improved odds of postpartum bup. continuation and weren't associated w/ adverse neonatal outcomes

Abortion Shield Laws in Action This Viewpoint discusses the enactment of shield laws in abortion-supportive US states following the Dobbs decision.

CONVERGE's Greer Donley, JD (@greerdonley.bsky.social) co-authored an article in JAMA International. Read the authors' discussion on Shield Laws, how upending them creates barriers for people in states with abortion bans, and how recent cases are impacting providers.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

CONVERGE is hiring multiple positions for its PA Catalyst research initiative.

To apply visit: lnkd.in/eACNNvsW

Data Analyst: 25003399
Research Scientist: 25003379
Research Coordinator: 25003381
Communications Specialist: 25003367

CONVERGE’s Director of Law and Policy, @greerdonley.bsky.social, co-authored a paper published in @bmj.com titled ‘Confusion over emergency pregnancy care is endangering patients: Trump’s actions on EMTALA deepen the problem’.

Read it here: doi.org/10.1136/bmj....

Happy 4th of July from the CONVERGE Team!

Pitt's Dr. Talabi, Dr. Krishnamurti, & R. Miller co-authored a paper highlighting a challenge faced by patients with chronic illnesses who are or could become pregnant: whether to use medications with limited info about teratogenicity. #ChronicIllness #Pregnancy

Read it: bit.ly/4mwS5Jc

New work on factors affecting #FamilyMedicineResidents decision to provide #ObstetricCare, led by Cynthia Salter!

For Men’s Health Month, we're sharing Asher Prangley’s research on the intersection of #MensSexualHealth and #CysticFibrosis. Read how their concept mapping can inform future interventions and care for men with CF: bit.ly/4mljNZ0

This special issue of Seminars in Perinatology, guest edited by CONVERGE's Dr. Tamar Krishnamurti, examines the complexity of uncertainty in decision making in a range of perinatal contexts from prenatal genetic testing to NICU ethics. www.sciencedirect.com/journal/semi...

@convergepitt.bsky.social's Sonya Borrero was quoted in a recent 90.5 WESA article on new #IUD pain management guidelines. The new guidance "really affirms what patients have been saying for a long time, that these procedures can be painful."

More on the new guidelines: www.wesa.fm/health-scien...

For #HepatitisTestingDay we're highlighting Dr. Catherine Chappell and CONVERGE faculty, Dr. Elizabeth Krans, for their research on improving health care delivery to pregnant women with psychosocial risk factors such as substance misuse.

Here's some of their work: bit.ly/4j0erQ1

New research from Michele Levine shows that prenatal loss of control eating is common among individuals with higher BMI and is linked to increased depression, anxiety, and stress. A key area for #PerinatalMentalHealth interventions. #MaternalHealth

🔗 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

“Not to convince, but to support.”

Mehret Birru Talabi, M.D., Ph.D. shares insights on counseling patients navigating high-risk pregnancies with #RheumaticDisease in Healio. Collaborative, compassionate care is key.

🔗 www.healio.com/news/rheumat...

Tackling #CampusSexualViolence requires systems thinking. This study by Elizabeth Miller & colleagues brings together students, experts & practitioners to co-create models that uncover how alcohol use & institutional factors intersect.

🔗 www.jsad.com/doi/10.15288...

New research led by Sara Baumann explores how Nepali immigrant women in the U.S. navigate #MenstrualPractices across cultural and religious contexts, highlighting agency not only in resistance but also in tradition. #WomensHealth #MenstrualHealth

🔗 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Congratulations to Rebecca Thurston, PhD, FAMBR, FSBSM, named a 2025 Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Awardee! 🎉 Her work is transforming how we understand menopause and its impact on heart and brain health. #PittMed #WomensHealth

Read more: www.utimes.pitt.edu/news/chancel...

Despite concerns post-Dobbs, #OBGYN practice locations remained stable. A cohort study of 60K+ OBGYNs showed no significant movement tied to #AbortionPolicy environments. #WomensHealth

Read the research from Sonya Borrero & colleagues @jama.com Network Open: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...