The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced the formation of the new Standing Committee on Reproductive Health, Equity, and Society. Among other tasks, the standing committee will assess the health, economic, social, and policy implications of access to reproductive health services and identify ways to improve health and well-being through reproductive health care access.
Through webinars and other activities, the standing committee will provide a venue for the exchange of ideas among federal, state, and local government agencies; the private sector; the academic community; and other relevant stakeholders. The committee will be chaired by Claire Brindis, distinguished professor emerita of pediatrics and health policy, Department of Pediatrics and Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Health Sciences, and director emerita of the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California, San Francisco. The committee consists of experts in clinical care, economics, equity, public health, communications, law, ethics, policy, sociology, technology, interpersonal violence, and more. The roster is available here.
“Access to high-quality reproductive health services was inequitable even before the Supreme Court decision on Dobbs v. Jackson, which has compounded existing challenges for women of color, from low-income backgrounds, or who live in rural areas,” said Victor J. Dzau, president of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). “Recognizing the serious and widespread ramifications for health, well-being, and economic mobility, the NAM called for the formation of the standing committee to guide national efforts to improve individual and population health and equity and increase access to quality health services for all.”
On Oct. 5, the standing committee will hold a workshop featuring presentations and discussions focused on the data available to measure the effects of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision, and what additional data are needed now and in the future to understand the full landscape of issues affecting reproductive health, equity, and society. The event also will examine considerations for data generation, data integrity, data-sharing, patient privacy, and legal implications. The workshop will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. Registration to attend the workshop online or in-person is now open.
“This new standing committee serves as a focal point for important policy discussions by leaders in the field of reproductive health and other stakeholders,” said Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences. “Its work will help continue our legacy of providing expert advice to help the nation understand issues related to maternal and reproductive health, racial and ethnic disparities in health care, and abortion.”
Read the full press release.
