Alcohol and Pregnancy: A Need for Shifting Approaches in State Policies

Sarah CM Roberts, DrPH •  Professor • Legal Epidemiologist, Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) • Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences • UCSF School of Medicine

Most states in the U.S. have had one or more pregnancy-specific alcohol policies (government policies that single-out pregnant people’s alcohol consumption) for decades.  But, until recently, there had been very little research about the effects of these policies.  Please join us this month for a discussion with Dr. Sarah Roberts, who will present findings from a legal epidemiology study of the relationships between pregnancy-specific alcohol policies and a range of health behavior and health outcomes related to alcohol use during pregnancy.  She also will share findings about alternative policy approaches that might be more effective in reducing adverse effects related to drinking during pregnancy.

Sarah Roberts, DrPH, is a Professor and Legal Epidemiologist at ANSIRH, at the University of California, San Francisco.  She studies the ways that policies and the health care system punish, rather than support, structurally vulnerable pregnant people, including pregnant people who use alcohol and drugs and pregnant people seeking abortion.  Dr. Roberts' current research focuses on evaluating maternal and child health impacts of state-level pregnancy-specific alcohol and drug policies and of state-level abortion policies and understanding health care provider reporting practices.

The UCSF Drug Use Research Group (DURG) is a city-wide seminar attended by faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and other Bay Area investigators centering on persons who use drugs.  Started in 2005 after a friendly debate between an epidemiologist and anthropologist on the merits of quantitative versus qualitative research methods, the DURG monthly seminars provide a community platform for new and established investigators to present their work, explore research questions and methods, and to prepare for grant applications and the dissemination of findings in a supportive environment.  The seminar has been successful in cultivating new collaborations and mentorship and in sustaining an interdisciplinary and interprofessional dialogue between those engaged in basic sciences, epidemiology, clinical, and public health research.  

We have returned to in-person meetings.  Our meetings are not recorded.  Please contact us if you’d like to present your work or research ideas for friendly consultation and peer review.