Elizabeth Harrington
Acting Assistant Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Washington
Box: 356460
In the News:
Dr. Elizabeth Harrington is a clinician and researcher with expertise in global reproductive health, family planning, and the social and behavioral influences on contraceptive decision-making. She is a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist with subspecialty training in family planning, and her research aims at understanding women’s complex needs and desires around prevention of unintended pregnancy. As a PI, she successfully designed and implemented a behavioral clinical trial of a mobile health contraceptive decision-support intervention in Kenya. She presented this work at the International Workshop on HIV and Adolescence, and prepared a manuscript for submission as first author entitled “Spoiled” girls: Understanding the social context of contraceptive need among Kenyan adolescent girls and young women. Dr. Harrington recently received a K12 career development award from the NICHD for research entitled, "Reproductive empowerment and contraceptive choice among adolescent girls and young women in Kenya". The aims of this award are to examine contraceptive preferences and decision-making among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Kenya with a focus on reproductive empowerment, and to develop and pilot a tailored intervention to support AGYW’s contraceptive decision-making in community based pharmacies. This work will guide the development of a novel, person-centered approach to unintended pregnancy prevention among AGYW at high risk for poor health outcomes.