Cynthia C. Harper, PhD

Cynthia C. Harper (she/her) is a Professor in Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Reproductive Sciences and Interim Vice Chair of Research. She leads the UCSF-Kaiser Permanente Division of Research of Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) K12 program and is dedicated to mentoring early stage investigators in academic medicine, including students interested in careers in the health sciences. She received her BA from Middlebury College, MA in international and public affairs from Columbia University, PhD in demography and public policy from Princeton University, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research aims to design, test, and scale low-cost, sustainable interventions to increase contraceptive access and equity. Working with community partners, she is currently launching initiatives to strengthen reproductive autonomy and contraceptive access post Dobbs for young people in restrictive states. She is also actively working with a youth advisory board to address important priorities in reproductive rights in the U.S., including gender equity and justice in the healthcare system and society.

Her research has supported expanded avenues to access contraception, including telemedicine and over-the-counter access at the pharmacy. She conducted research on emergency contraception that helped to transform clinical practice and policy and led to the FDA approval of over-the-counter status of levonorgestrel emergency contraception and the removal of the age restriction.

Dr. Harper has worked together with investigators in countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa, including on maternal morbidity and mortality, contraception and HIV prevention, and access to care. She is the 2013 recipient of Guttmacher Institute’s Darroch Award in Excellence in Sexual and Reproductive Health Research and the 2016 Award for the Alliance for Continuing Education in Health Professions for her contraceptive training intervention.

Areas of Interest: Contraceptive agency, reproductive autonomy, contraceptive access and equity, emergency contraception, youth contraception. Contraceptive training to increase provider capacity, address bias, and reduce inequities in care.