Sonya Borrero, MD, MS
Sonya Borrero, MD, MS
Sonya Borrero, MD, MS, Associate Director of HSR&D’s Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP) in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, PA will receive the Society of Family Planning Beacon of Science Award for her important contributions to the field in striving to advance reproductive health equity. Her research has specifically focused on understanding the multilevel influences on contraceptive and pregnancy decision-making in marginalized populations in order to identify social, clinical, and policy interventions that will decrease women’s risk for undesired pregnancy – and that will augment reproductive autonomy. Dr. Borrero’s current projects include optimizing pre-pregnancy and contraceptive care provision within VA, developing patient-centered digital tools to support reproductive decision-making, and advancing our understanding of how social inequities shape and constrain both men’s and women’s reproductive intentions and behaviors.
Asked to reflect on her body of work, Dr. Borrero stated, “I hope that our work has helped to illuminate the perspectives and amplify the voices of people from marginalized populations to shed light on pathways toward equitable and just reproductive healthcare. I am committed to actively listening to people with diverse experiences, backgrounds, and values to aid with surfacing and challenging common assumptions, biases, and behaviors in family planning care that hinder our ability to truly put people at the center of our efforts.”
Dr. Borrero also is a staff physician at the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center and a Professor of Medicine, Clinical and Translational Science, and Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh Department of Medicine.