The Academic Senate is pleased to announce the selection of Diana Greene Foster, PhD, as recipient of the First Annual Faculty Research Lectureship in Social, Behavioral, Health Policy Sciences for her work on advancing new standards in Reproductive Health. The lecture, titled “Studying the Consequences of the End of Roe v Wade” will take place on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, from 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. in Byers Auditorium at Mission Bay Campus, with a reception to follow. There will also be a Zoom broadcast.

Dr. Foster is a phenomenal scientist and 2023 MacArthur Fellow who has made unique and lasting contributions to one of the most contested medical and policy issues of our times, a pregnant person’s ability to make choices about childbearing. She led the team that took on the full array of misconceptions regarding the impacts of abortion care with her path-breaking research, The Turnaway Study. Her research demonstrated that being denied a wanted abortion has negative consequences for women, including higher risk of living in poverty, poorer physical health, and a greater likelihood of being tied to a violent partner. Dr. Foster’s central achievement was enabling advocates, policymakers, and the general public to understand scientifically what it means to deny access to abortion care to people who can become pregnant. She is a national leader in the field of reproductive health affecting policy and clinical practice through her work. It seems only fitting that she be recognized by UCSF for the Faculty Research Lecture in Social, Behavioral, and Health Policy Sciences.