Health Services PhD candidate Shanise Owens and HSPop adjunct associate professor Lisa Callegari (MD, MPH) were recently featured in Right as Rain from UW Medicine for their work on the U-RISE study, examining why Black women are at higher risk for developing uterine fibroids while less likely to receive treatment. The study looked at racial disparities in care and highlighted the need for reproductive justice.
Compared to other races receiving treatment for fibroids, Black women are more likely to be put through invasive surgeries, yet they still end up having worse outcomes. “One key takeaway from our research is the importance of offering Black veterans multiple treatment options, including fertility-sparing choices,” says Owens.
The Understanding Racial Inequities in Fibroid Care for Veterans (U-Rise) study was co-led by Jodie G. Katon (PHD, MS) and Dr. Callegari, who in addition to her role as HSPop faculty, is also an associate professor of OB-GYN at the UW School of Medicine and core investigator at the Seattle-Denver COIN.
Additional HSPop affiliated members of the research team included Andrew Bossick (HSERV PhD ’21, MPH), Cathea Carey (HSERV MPH ’19), adjunct associate professor Kemi Doll (MD, MSCR) , and research assistant professor Kristen Gray (PhD, MS).