Overview
The aftershocks of the Dobbs decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion continue to reverberate across the health care system as patients and clinicians navigate the uncertain, politically charged, and changing terrain of reproductive health care. In partnership with the Society of Family Planning and the Commonwealth Fund, AcademyHealth has established a research community dedicated to examining the health equity impacts and broader effects of the Supreme Court's 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health on the health care system.
This initiative draws upon a 2023 brief and research agenda generated via invitational workshop and follow-up webinar to elevate the importance of reproductive health research within the health services research (HSR) community.
Join the Research Community
We are currently accepting applications to participate in the Research Community, to convene bimonthly between approximately October 2024–September 2025. If you are interested in joining or would like to learn more, please fill out this brief form or email RC-Dobbs@academyhealth.org with questions. The following opportunities are available:
- Two Scholars in Residence to co-design content for the Research Community and lend their thought leadership to elevate reproductive health research within the HSR community. A stipend of $10,000 will be provided. Applications due September 17, 2024.
- Up to six members on an Advisory Council to guide the Research Community convenings and webinar programming. An honorarium of $1,000 will be provided. Applications due September 17, 2024.
- Participation in the Research Community. This will not be a leadership role. Applications due October 22, 2024.
More Information About the Research Community
The Research Community on the Equity Impacts of Dobbs (the Research Community) is a professional network for researchers to collaborate and share information about promising research, practices, and policies to understand the impacts of reproductive health policy changes on the U.S. health care system. Members of this diverse, multidisciplinary research community will include health services researchers, reproductive health researchers, and community-based researchers working in reproductive health and related health care domains, as well as representatives from public and private funders interested in supporting this work. The Research Community will host bimonthly convenings on the technical and methodological approaches applied in health services and reproductive health research to study the impacts of Dobbs on the health care system, as well as public webinars on top reproductive health issues for the field to explore.
This Research Community will contribute to the evidence base of research on the impacts of Dobbs by:
- Building capacity within HSR to conduct research on the equity impacts of the Dobbs decision throughout the country and health care system,
- Building and strengthening research partnerships between HSR, reproductive health research, and community-based organizations and communities,
- Elevating the importance of these research questions in the HSR field for investigators and research funders, and
- Educating the broader HSR community on technical aspects of conducting research on the impact of reproductive health policy changes.
Supported by the Commonwealth Fund, a national, private foundation based in New York City that supports independent research on health care issues and makes grants to improve health care practice and policy. The views presented here are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Commonwealth Fund, its directors, officers, or staff.
