Laura Jacobson¹
Biography
Laura Jacobson, PhD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Health Systems, Management, and Policy with a secondary appointment in OHSU’s Division of Complex Family Planning.
Her research focuses on improving how health systems measure and deliver medication abortion follow-up care, with particular attention to quality measurement and person-centered outcomes globally. She is also interested in quality of life across the reproductive lifecourse, including emerging work on menopause. Her recent publications in the American Journal of Public Health, BMC Public Health, Contraception, and BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health examine medication abortion history, safety, follow-up care-seeking, and quality measurement across multiple contexts. She led a World Health Organization-commissioned white paper on strengthening global post-abortion care-seeking indicators.
Currently, she is developing a research program to transform how follow-up care after medication abortion is measured and delivered, in collaboration with Ibis Reproductive Health, bridging measurement science, clinical practice, and equitable global health partnerships.
She is a recipient of the American Association of University Women Dissertation Fellowship, the 2025 National Abortion Federation Carole Joffe and Stanley Henshaw Early Achievement in Social Science Research Award, and the PSU Research of the Year Award in 2026 for the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health.
Education, Degrees
BS University of Wisconsin, Genetics
MPH University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Graduate Certificate in Global Health University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
PhD Health Systems & Policy OHSU-PSU School of Public Health
¹ CEPH Primary Instructional Faculty
² CEPH Non-Primary Instructional Faculty
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