Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion

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Deirdre Quinn, PhD, MSc, MLitt is a CHERP Core Investigator, Adjunct Instructor of Medicine in the Division of Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, and VA HSR&D Career Development Award (CDA) recipient.

Dr. Quinn researches individual, relational, and structural influences on women's sexual and reproductive health. As a postdoctoral fellow at CHERP in the Advanced Fellowship in Women's Health training program, she was awarded VISN4 CHERP pilot funding to describe pre-pregnancy health and maternal outcomes among women Veterans. This work identified a national cohort of pregnancies within VA and serves as the foundation for her CDA, entitled “Examining pre-pregnancy health and maternal outcomes among women Veterans”, which will examine how links between Veterans' pre-pregnancy health risks (e.g., chronic conditions) and healthcare experiences, social characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, rurality), and maternal outcomes can inform interventions to improve women Veterans' healthcare.

Since May 2021, Dr. Quinn has also been leading the Birth Control on Demand project, a two-site demonstration project at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. Nearly half of women Veterans who use VA healthcare are of childbearing age and over one-third of their pregnancies are unintended. Consistent use of contraception is the most effective way to reduce the rate of unintended pregnancy; however, gaps in contraceptive coverage due to prescription refill delays are a major barrier to womens' correct and consistent contraceptive use. Through the 'Birth Control on Demand' project, women Veterans at VAPHS and VA Puget Sound can access contraceptive counseling and prescriptions direct from a clinical pharmacist, and when clinically appropriate, will also have the new option to receive a 12-month supply of birth control at one time.

Dr. Quinn earned her PhD in Family Science from the University of Maryland School of Public Health. She also holds an MSc in Gender and Social policy from the London School of Economics & Political Science and an MLitt in Creative Writing from the University of St. Andrews. Sonya Borrero, MD, MS, is Dr. Quinn's primary mentor.