Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Professor
Ob/Gyn, Reproductive Sciences
School of Medicine

Dr. Upadhyay was born and raised near Boston, Massachusetts. As a person of South Asian descent, primarily raised by her mother who immigrated to the U.S. from Tanzania, she is drawn to reproductive health from a social justice perspective.

Dr. Upadhyay has expertise in abortion safety, abortion access in the U.S., medication abortion, and state-level abortion restrictions. She is Principal Investigator of the California Home Abortion by Telehealth study, which examines the safety, effectiveness, and acceptability of telehealth for abortion. She is also leading a study on interest in a late period pill.

Dr. Upadhyay is Director of Research of the UCGHI Center of Expertise in Women’s Health, Gender, and Empowerment. She has developed and validated the Reproductive Autonomy Scale and the Sexual and Reproductive Empowerment Scale for Adolescents and Young Adults, both of which researchers can use to quantitatively measure people’s power in matters related to contraceptive use, pregnancy, and abortion.

She earned a BA in Public Communication and International Studies from American University, her MPH from Columbia University, and her PhD from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

• Effectiveness and safety of telehealth medication abortion in the USA.
  Nature medicine 2024 Upadhyay UD, Koenig LR, Meckstroth K, Ko J, Valladares ES, Biggs MA
• Patient Acceptability of Telehealth Medication Abortion Care in the United States, 2021‒2022: A Cohort Study.
  American journal of public health 2024 Koenig LR, Ko J, Valladares ES, Coeytaux FM, Wells E, Lyles CR, Upadhyay UD
• Potential demand for and access to medication abortion among North Carolina college students.
  Journal of American college health : J of ACH 2024 Peart MS, Cartwright AF, Tadikonda A, Upadhyay UD, Tang JH, Morse JE, Stuart GS, Bryant AG
• Provision of DMPA-SC for self-administration in different practice settings during the COVID-19 pandemic: Data from providers across the United States.
  Contraception 2023 Comfort AB, Alvarez A, Goodman S, Upadhyay U, Mengesha B, Karlin J, Shokat M, Blum M, Harper CC
• The Role of Telehealth in Promoting Equitable Abortion Access in the United States: Spatial Analysis.
  JMIR public health and surveillance 2023 Koenig LR, Becker A, Ko J, Upadhyay UD
• Adaptation of the sexual and reproductive empowerment scale for adolescents and young adults in Kenya.
  PLOS global public health 2023 Harrington EK, Congo O, Kimanthi S, Dollah A, Onono M, Mugo N, Barnabas RV, Bukusi EA, Upadhyay UD
• Separating Procedure-related Fears From Future Fertility Concerns Among a Cohort Seeking Abortion Information Online.
  Women's health issues : official publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health 2023 Cartwright AF, Bell SO, Upadhyay UD
• Clinical outcomes of medication abortion using misoprostol-only: A retrospective chart review at an abortion provider organization in the United States.
  Contraception 2023 Raymond EG, Weaver MA, Shochet T, Grant M, Boyd K, Koenig LR, Upadhyay U
• Society of Family Planning Committee Statement: Abortion nomenclature.
  Contraception 2023 Upadhyay UD, Coplon L, Atrio JM, with the assistance of Margaret Villalonga and on behalf of the Society of Family Planning Clinical
• Awareness of medication abortion among a nationally representative U.S. sample, 2021-2022.
  Contraception 2023 Kaller S, Upadhyay UD, Ralph LJ, Schroeder R, Biggs MA
• Impact of Sumadhur intervention on fertility and family planning decision-making norms: a mixed methods study.
  Reproductive health 2023 Mitchell A, Puri MC, Dahal M, Cornell A, Upadhyay UD, Diamond-Smith NG
• Medication abortion with misoprostol-only: A sample protocol.
  Contraception 2023 Raymond EG, Mark A, Grossman D, Beasley A, Brandi K, Castle J, Creinin MD, Gerdts C, Gil L, Grant M, Lockley A, Perritt J, Shochet T, Truan D, Upadhyay UD
• Mailing abortion pills does not delay care: A cohort study comparing mailed to in-person dispensing of abortion medications in the United States.
  Contraception 2023 Koenig LR, Raymond EG, Gold M, Boraas CM, Kaneshiro B, Winikoff B, Coplon L, Upadhyay UD
• Fear of procedure and pain in individuals considering abortion: A qualitative study.
  Patient education and counseling 2022 Nguyen M, Cartwright AF, Upadhyay UD
• Commentary: The Turnaway Study: A case of self-correction in science upended by political motivation and unvetted findings.
  Frontiers in psychology 2022 Biggs A, Foster DG, Gould H, Kimport K, Ralph L, Roberts S, Rocca C, Sisson G, Upadhyay U, Woodruff K
• Estimated Travel Time and Spatial Access to Abortion Facilities in the US Before and After the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Decision.
  JAMA 2022 Rader B, Upadhyay UD, Sehgal NKR, Reis BY, Brownstein JS, Hswen Y
• Intimate relationships after receiving versus being denied an abortion: A 5-year prospective study in the United States.
  Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health 2022 Upadhyay UD, Foster DG, Gould H, Biggs MA
• Improving our estimates: assessing misclassification of abortion accessibility in the United States.
  Annals of epidemiology 2022 Seymour JW, Milechin D, Upadhyay UD, Wise LA, Rudolph AE
• Barriers Push People into Seeking Abortion Care Later in Pregnancy.
  American journal of public health 2022 Upadhyay UD
• Denial of Abortion Because of Provider Gestational Age Limits in the United States.
  American journal of public health 2022 Upadhyay UD, Weitz TA, Jones RK, Barar RE, Foster DG
• The future of medication abortion in a post-Roe world.
  BMJ (Clinical research ed.) 2022 Aiken AR, Upadhyay UD
• Association Between Distance to an Abortion Facility and Abortion or Pregnancy Outcome Among a Prospective Cohort of People Seeking Abortion Online.
  JAMA network open 2022 Pleasants EA, Cartwright AF, Upadhyay UD
• Outcomes and Safety of History-Based Screening for Medication Abortion: A Retrospective Multicenter Cohort Study.
  JAMA internal medicine 2022 Upadhyay UD, Raymond EG, Koenig LR, Coplon L, Gold M, Kaneshiro B, Boraas CM, Winikoff B
• Trends In Self-Pay Charges And Insurance Acceptance For Abortion In The United States, 2017-20.
  Health affairs (Project Hope) 2022 Upadhyay UD, Ahlbach C, Kaller S, Cook C, Muñoz I
• Barriers to abortion care and incidence of attempted self-managed abortion among individuals searching Google for abortion care: A national prospective study.
  Contraception 2021 Upadhyay UD, Cartwright AF, Grossman D
• Safety and Efficacy of Telehealth Medication Abortions in the US During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
  JAMA network open 2021 Upadhyay UD, Koenig LR, Meckstroth KR
• Pregnancy outcomes after exposure to crisis pregnancy centers among an abortion-seeking sample recruited online.
  PloS one 2021 Cartwright AF, Tumlinson K, Upadhyay UD
• Abortion service availability during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from a national census of abortion facilities in the U.S.
  Contraception: X 2021 Kaller S, Muñoz MGI, Sharma S, Tayel S, Ahlbach C, Cook C, Upadhyay UD
• Association of Travel Distance to Nearest Abortion Facility With Rates of Abortion.
  JAMA network open 2021 Thompson KMJ, Sturrock HJW, Foster DG, Upadhyay UD
• Abortion Waiting Periods and Decision Certainty Among People Searching Online for Abortion Care.
  Obstetrics and gynecology 2021 Jovel I, Cartwright AF, Ralph L, Upadhyay UD
• Corrigendum to "Using Google Ads to recruit and retain a cohort considering abortion in the United States" [Contraception: X (2) (2020) 100017].
  Contraception: X 2021 Upadhyay UD, Jovel IJ, McCuaig KD, Cartwright AF
• State abortion policies and Medicaid coverage of abortion are associated with pregnancy outcomes among individuals seeking abortion recruited using Google Ads: A national cohort study.
  Social science & medicine (1982) 2021 Upadhyay UD, McCook AA, Bennett AH, Cartwright AF, Roberts SCM
• Miscarriage Treatment-Related Morbidities and Adverse Events in Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgery Centers, and Office-Based Settings.
  Journal of patient safety 2020 Roberts SCM, Beam N, Liu G, Upadhyay UD, Leslie DL, Ba D, Kerns JL
• Prevalence of Self-Managed Abortion Among Women of Reproductive Age in the United States.
  JAMA network open 2020 Ralph L, Foster DG, Raifman S, Biggs MA, Samari G, Upadhyay U, Gerdts C, Grossman D
• Adoption of no-test and telehealth medication abortion care among independent abortion providers in response to COVID-19.
  Contraception: X 2020 Upadhyay UD, Schroeder R, Roberts SCM
• Development and Validation of the Sexual and Reproductive Empowerment Scale for Adolescents and Young Adults.
  The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine 2020 Upadhyay UD, Danza PY, Neilands TB, Gipson JD, Brindis CD, Hindin MJ, Foster DG, Dworkin SL
• Using online technologies to improve diversity and inclusion in cognitive interviews with young people.
  BMC medical research methodology 2020 Upadhyay UD, Lipkovich H
• Commentary: No-test medication abortion: A sample protocol for increasing access during a pandemic and beyond.
  Contraception 2020 Raymond EG, Grossman D, Mark A, Upadhyay UD, Dean G, Creinin MD, Coplon L, Perritt J, Atrio JM, Taylor D, Gold M
• Gender, justice and empowerment: creating the world we want to see.
  Culture, health & sexuality 2020 Fielding-Miller R, Hatcher AM, Wagman J, Swendeman D, Upadhyay UD
• The effect of receiving versus being denied an abortion on making and achieving aspirational 5-year life plans.
  BMJ sexual & reproductive health 2020 McCarthy MA, Upadhyay U, Ralph L, Biggs MA, Foster DG
• Using Google Ads to recruit and retain a cohort considering abortion in the United States.
  Contraception: X 2019 Upadhyay UD, Jovel IJ, McCuaig KD, Cartwright AF
• Predicted changes in abortion access and incidence in a post-Roe world.
  Contraception 2019 Myers C, Jones R, Upadhyay U
• Telemedicine for medication abortion.
  Contraception 2019 Upadhyay UD, Grossman D
• Estimating the proportion of Medicaid-eligible pregnant women in Louisiana who do not get abortions when Medicaid does not cover abortion.
  BMC women's health 2019 Roberts SCM, Johns NE, Williams V, Wingo E, Upadhyay UD
• Side Effects and Health Benefits of Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate: A Systematic Review.
  Obstetrics and gynecology 2019 Dianat S, Fox E, Ahrens KA, Upadhyay UD, Zlidar VM, Gallo MF, Stidd RL, Moskosky S, Dehlendorf C
• Coercing Women's Behavior: How a Mandatory Viewing Law Changes Patients' Preabortion Ultrasound Viewing Practices.
  Journal of health politics, policy and law 2018 Kimport K, Johns NE, Upadhyay UD
• Admitting privileges and hospital-based care after presenting for abortion: A retrospective case series.
  Health services research 2018 Upadhyay UD, Cartwright AF, Goyal V, Belusa E, Roberts SCM
• Intended pregnancy after receiving vs. being denied a wanted abortion.
  Contraception 2018 Upadhyay UD, Aztlan-James EA, Rocca CH, Foster DG
• Sociodemographic Characteristics of Women Able to Obtain Medication Abortion Before and After Ohio's Law Requiring Use of the Food and Drug Administration Protocol.
  Health equity 2018 Upadhyay UD, Johns NE, Cartwright AF, Franklin TE
• Association of Facility Type With Procedural-Related Morbidities and Adverse Events Among Patients Undergoing Induced Abortions.
  JAMA 2018 Roberts SCM, Upadhyay UD, Liu G, Kerns JL, Ba D, Beam N, Leslie DL
• Abortion-related emergency department visits in the United States: An analysis of a national emergency department sample.
  BMC medicine 2018 Upadhyay UD, Johns NE, Barron R, Cartwright AF, Tapé C, Mierjeski A, McGregor AJ
• Access to Medication Abortion Among California's Public University Students.
  The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine 2018 Upadhyay UD, Cartwright AF, Johns NE
• Identifying National Availability of Abortion Care and Distance From Major US Cities: Systematic Online Search.
  Journal of medical Internet research 2018 Cartwright AF, Karunaratne M, Barr-Walker J, Johns NE, Upadhyay UD
• Hybrid Masculinity and Young Men's Circumscribed Engagement in Contraceptive Management.
  Gender & society : official publication of Sociologists for Women in Society 2018 Fefferman AM, Upadhyay UD
• Subsequent Unintended Pregnancy Among US Women Who Receive or Are Denied a Wanted Abortion.
  Journal of midwifery & women's health 2018 Aztlan EA, Foster DG, Upadhyay U
• Contraceptive Use over Five Years After Receipt Or Denial of Abortion Services.
  Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health 2018 Moseson H, Foster DG, Upadhyay UD, Vittinghoff E, Rocca CH
• Predictors of timing of pregnancy discovery.
  Contraception 2017 McCarthy M, Upadhyay U, Biggs MA, Anthony R, Holl J, Roberts SC
• Women's experiences of their preabortion ultrasound image printout.
  Contraception 2017 Kimport K, Johns NE, Upadhyay UD
• Role of Insurance Coverage in Contraceptive Use After Abortion.
  Obstetrics and gynecology 2017 Biggs MA, Taylor D, Upadhyay UD
• Women's empowerment related to pregnancy and childbirth: introduction to special issue.
  BMC pregnancy and childbirth 2017 Prata N, Tavrow P, Upadhyay U
• Innovative models are needed for equitable abortion access in the USA.
  The Lancet. Public health 2017 Upadhyay UD
• Distance Traveled for an Abortion and Source of Care After Abortion.
  Obstetrics and gynecology 2017 Upadhyay UD, Johns NE, Meckstroth KR, Kerns JL
• Evaluating the impact of a mandatory pre-abortion ultrasound viewing law: A mixed methods study.
  PloS one 2017 Upadhyay UD, Kimport K, Belusa EKO, Johns NE, Laube DW, Roberts SCM
• Mental Health Outcomes After Having or Being Denied an Abortion-Reply.
  JAMA psychiatry 2017 Biggs MA, Upadhyay UD, Foster DG
• Standardizing the classification of abortion incidents: the Procedural Abortion Incident Reporting and Surveillance (PAIRS) Framework.
  Contraception 2017 Taylor D, Upadhyay UD, Fjerstad M, Battistelli MF, Weitz TA, Paul ME
• Distance traveled for Medicaid-covered abortion care in California.
  BMC health services research 2017 Johns NE, Foster DG, Upadhyay UD
• Women's Mental Health and Well-being 5 Years After Receiving or Being Denied an Abortion: A Prospective, Longitudinal Cohort Study.
  JAMA psychiatry 2017 Biggs MA, Upadhyay UD, McCulloch CE, Foster DG
• WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT AND FAMILY PLANNING: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE.
  Journal of biosocial science 2017 Prata N, Fraser A, Huchko MJ, Gipson JD, Withers M, Lewis S, Ciaraldi EJ, Upadhyay UD
• Corrigendum to "Implications for women of Louisiana's law requiring abortion providers to have hospital admitting privileges" [Contraception (2015) 91:368-72. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2015.02.001].
  Contraception 2016 Roberts SCM, Fuentes L, Kriz R, Williams V, Upadhyay UD
• Interventions to Prevent Unintended and Repeat Pregnancy Among Young People in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review of the Published and Gray Literature.
  The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine 2016 Hindin MJ, Kalamar AM, Thompson TA, Upadhyay UD
• Comparison of Outcomes before and after Ohio's Law Mandating Use of the FDA-Approved Protocol for Medication Abortion: A Retrospective Cohort Study.
  PLoS medicine 2016 Upadhyay UD, Johns NE, Combellick SL, Kohn JE, Keder LM, Roberts SC
• Interest in self-administration of subcutaneous depot medroxyprogesterone acetate in the United States.
  Contraception 2016 Upadhyay UD, Zlidar VM, Foster DG
• Utah's 72-Hour Waiting Period for Abortion: Experiences Among a Clinic-Based Sample of Women.
  Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health 2016 Roberts SC, Turok DK, Belusa E, Combellick S, Upadhyay UD
• Effects of relationship context on contraceptive use among young women.
  Contraception 2016 Upadhyay UD, Raifman S, Raine-Bennett T
• The effect of abortion on having and achieving aspirational one-year plans.
  BMC women's health 2015 Upadhyay UD, Biggs MA, Foster DG
• Choice of the levonorgestrel intrauterine device, etonogestrel implant or depot medroxyprogesterone acetate for contraception after aspiration abortion.
  Contraception 2015 Steinauer JE, Upadhyay UD, Sokoloff A, Harper CC, Diedrich JT, Drey EA
• Implications of Georgia's 20-Week Abortion Ban.
  American journal of public health 2015 Roberts SC, Gould H, Upadhyay UD
• Implications for women of Louisiana's law requiring abortion providers to have hospital admitting privileges.
  Contraception 2015 Roberts SC, Fuentes L, Kriz R, Williams V, Upadhyay UD
• Incidence of emergency department visits and complications after abortion.
  Obstetrics and gynecology 2015 Upadhyay UD, Desai S, Zlidar V, Weitz TA, Grossman D, Anderson P, Taylor D
• Research informs abortion care policy change in California.
  American journal of public health 2014 Weitz TA, Taylor D, Upadhyay UD, Desai S, Battistelli M
• Women's empowerment and fertility: a review of the literature.
  Social science & medicine (1982) 2014 Upadhyay UD, Gipson JD, Withers M, Lewis S, Ciaraldi EJ, Fraser A, Huchko MJ, Prata N
• Does abortion reduce self-esteem and life satisfaction?
  Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation 2014 Biggs MA, Upadhyay UD, Steinberg JR, Foster DG
• Development and validation of a reproductive autonomy scale.
  Studies in family planning 2014 Upadhyay UD, Dworkin SL, Weitz TA, Foster DG
• Relationship between ultrasound viewing and proceeding to abortion.
  Obstetrics and gynecology 2014 Gatter M, Kimport K, Foster DG, Weitz TA, Upadhyay UD
• Denial of abortion because of provider gestational age limits in the United States.
  American journal of public health 2013 Upadhyay UD, Weitz TA, Jones RK, Barar RE, Foster DG
• Patient viewing of the ultrasound image prior to abortion.
  Contraception 2013 Kimport K, Upadhyay UD, Foster DG, Gatter M, Weitz TA
• The stigma of having an abortion: development of a scale and characteristics of women experiencing abortion stigma.
  Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health 2013 Cockrill K, Upadhyay UD, Turan J, Greene Foster D
• At what cost? Payment for abortion care by U.S. women.
  Women's health issues : official publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health 2013 Jones RK, Upadhyay UD, Weitz TA
• Safety of aspiration abortion performed by nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and physician assistants under a California legal waiver.
  American journal of public health 2013 Weitz TA, Taylor D, Desai S, Upadhyay UD, Waldman J, Battistelli MF, Drey EA
• Denial of abortion care due to gestational age limits.
  Contraception 2012 Foster DG, Dobkin LM, Upadhyay UD
• With pills, patches, rings, and shots: who still uses condoms? A longitudinal cohort study.
  The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine 2012 Goldstein RL, Upadhyay UD, Raine TR
• Women's empowerment and ideal family size: an examination of DHS empowerment measures in Sub-Saharan Africa.
  International perspectives on sexual and reproductive health 2012 Upadhyay UD, Karasek D
• Contraceptive discontinuation and repeat unintended pregnancy within 1 year after an abortion.
  Contraception 2011 Upadhyay UD, Brown BA, Sokoloff A, Raine TR
• One-year contraceptive continuation and pregnancy in adolescent girls and women initiating hormonal contraceptives.
  Obstetrics and gynecology 2011 Raine TR, Foster-Rosales A, Upadhyay UD, Boyer CB, Brown BA, Sokoloff A, Harper CC
• Informing abortion counseling: an examination of evidence-based practices used in emotional care for other stigmatized and sensitive health issues.
  Patient education and counseling 2010 Upadhyay UD, Cockrill K, Freedman LR
• Prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of high LDL cholesterol in New York City, 2004.
  Preventing chronic disease 2010 Upadhyay UD, Waddell EN, Young S, Kerker BD, Berger M, Matte T, Angell SY
• Elevated risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome among Asians and south Asians: results from the 2004 New York City HANES.
  Ethnicity & disease 2010 Rajpathak SN, Gupta LS, Waddell EN, Upadhyay UD, Wildman RP, Kaplan R, Wassertheil-Smoller S, Wylie-Rosett J
• Marital Status and Psychological Well-Being of Filipino Women
  Philippine Population Review 2009 Gultiano S, Hindin M, Upadhyay U.
• Prevalence and control of diabetes and impaired fasting glucose in New York City.
  Diabetes care 2009 Thorpe LE, Upadhyay UD, Chamany S, Garg R, Mandel-Ricci J, Kellerman S, Berger DK, Frieden TR, Gwynn C
• The influence of parents' marital relationship and women's status on children's age at first sex in Cebu, Philippines.
  Studies in family planning 2007 Upadhyay UD, Hindin MJ
• Before first sex: gender differences in emotional relationships and physical behaviors among adolescents in the Philippines.
  International family planning perspectives 2006 Upadhyay UD, Hindin MJ, Gultiano S
• Do perceptions of friends' behaviors affect age at first sex? Evidence from Cebu, Philippines.
  The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine 2006 Upadhyay UD, Hindin MJ
• New contraceptive choices.
  Population reports. Series M, Special topics 2005 Upadhyay UD
• Do higher status and more autonomous women have longer birth intervals? Results from Cebu, Philippines.
  Social science & medicine (1982) 2005 Upadhyay UD, Hindin MJ
• Informed choice in family planning. Helping people decide.
  Population reports. Series J, Family planning programs 2001 Upadhyay UD
• India's New Economic Policy of 1991 and Its Impact on Women's Poverty and AIDS
  Journal of Feminist Economics 2000 Upadhyay UD
• Why family planning matters.
  Population reports. Series J, Family planning programs 1999 Upadhyay UD, Robey B
• Toward a blue revolution.
  Global issues (Washington, D.C.) 1999 Hinrichsen D, Robey B, Upadhyay UD
• Speeding the reproductive revolution.
  People & the planet 1999 Robey B, Upadhyay U