We are the Reproductive Population Health Data Research Team
Through our research, we aim to improve reproductive population health outcomes and impact health policy provincially, nationally, and internationally.
We conduct epidemiologic and health policy research to determine impacts of policy and practice change on reproductive health service access and population health outcomes. In tandem, we conduct methodological work to improve the rigor of epidemiological and health policy research using population-based health administrative data.
Our team is led by Dr. Laura Schummers (ScD), an Assistant Professor of Health Outcomes in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia; Director of Epidemiology at the Contraception & Abortion Research Team – Groupe de recherche sur l’avortement et la contraception (CART-GRAC); Investigator at the Women’s Health Research Institute; and Investigator at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. We are part of the Collaboration for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE) in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC.
Our team and collaborators have diverse expertise in epidemiology, public health, pharmacy, family medicine, obstetrics, midwifery, health policy, and health systems. We conduct this work in collaboration with clinicians, policymakers, health system leaders, patients, and members of the public.
Learn more about what we do on the About page!
Latest Updates
Watch Dr. Laura Schummers and Dr. Elizabeth Nethery on Global News BC, where they discussed our latest publication in JAMA Network Open about access to mifepristone through community pharmacies in BC
Read our latest publication in JAMA Network Open about access to mifepristone through community pharmacies in BC!
We found good overall access, but gaps remain. See additional coverage by UBC News (reprinted by Mirage News, Medical Xpress, and News Medical), EurekAlert, Bioengineer.org, ScienMag, and Global News.
Read about what we stand to lose if we let private insurers write Canada’s pharmacare plan in the Toronto Star
Dr. Nethery, Dr. Schummers, and colleagues wrote an opinion piece published in the Toronto Star. This article was republished by National Newswatch.
Read why now is the time to implement national pharmacare for contraception in all provinces!
Dr. Nethery, Dr. Schummers, and colleagues make the case in The Conversation Canada. This article was republished by The Brandon Sun, McMaster News, Today Headline, Tolerance, Yahoo, and Medical XPress.
Read Dr. Laura Schummers and Dr. Wendy V. Norman’s commentary in BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health
Read our publication in JAMA Pediatrics about the effect of Ontario’s universal public funding for contraception for people <25 years old on dispensation rates
Watch @CBCNews’ YouTube Short about our recent study evaluating the effect of BC’s free contraception policy
Read about our study evaluating the effect of BC’s free contraception policy in The Canadian Press
This story was picked up by: The Globe and Mail, CTV News, Toronto Star, Times Colonist, Energetic City, North Shore News, Vernon Matters, CheK News, Burnaby Now, Vancouver is Awesome, CastaNet, Delta Optimist, TriCity News, Yahoo, Lakeland Today, the Reminder, Global News, MSN, The Spec, Prince George Now, Prince George Citizen News, CKPG Today, CP24
Watch and listen to Dr. Schummers discuss our latest research out in the BMJ on CBC Radio: ‘What are the broader implications of B.C.’s universal birth control policy?’
Dr. Laura Schummers was interviewed by numerous local and national media outlets. See our “In The News” page for a full list!
Read our latest publication in the British Medical Journal about the effect of BC’s free contraception policy on use
Listen to Dr. Schummers discuss our latest research out in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on the CMAJ Podcast ‘How mifepristone changed access, and how to prescribe it’
In the first segment, Dr. Schummers discusses the background and our findings with the podcast hosts. In the second segment, Dr. Wendy V. Norman walks through what prescribers (physicians, nurse practitioners) need to know to prescribe mifepristone and what to expect in terms of the clinical course of care.
Dr. Schummers has been awarded the Early In Career Award by the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of British Columbia
Listen to the recording of Dr. Schummers discussing our latest research out in JAMA Network Open on the 730AM Global News Radio: Jas Johal Show on April 15, 2025 titled ‘Abortion rates on the rise, except in Canada’
Dr. Laura Schummers and Dr. Wendy V. Norman wrote an opinion piece in the Toronto Star about our research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal and the JAMA Network Open
Read our latest publication in the Canadian Medical Association Journal about access to mifepristone in Ontario.
Read our latest publication in the JAMA Network Open about abortion rates in Ontario since the introduction of mifepristone, the COVID-19 pandemic, and after.