Spring is a busy season at the Reproductive Health Access Project. In the past few months we’ve presented an a number of academic conferences across the United States. Here’s a peak at some of our spring travels.

On March 7th-8th our educational director Dr. Ruth Lesnewski presented at the ACU Health IT for the Underserved Conference in Poughkeepsie, NY. Ruth presented a scientific poster entitled “Contraception Information in the After-Visit Summary.” Many health care providers in the U.S. are switching from paper medical charts to electronic medical records (EMR). Ruth’s poster explained how patient-education fact sheets can be incorporated into EMRs so that after an office visit patients can walk out the door with an easy-to-use sheet about their preferred contraceptive option.

In April RHAP sent several staff and interns (pictured to the left) to the 2013 Civil Liberties and Public Policy (CLPP) conference in Hampshire, MA. Rosann Mariappuram, Lianne Salcido, and Lia Cassanego hosted a papaya workshop during the conference with the help of an amazing abortion provider from the area. Rosann also co-presented a panel with RHEDI and Nursing Students for Choice  discussing the growing abortion provider shortage in the U.S. In addition to presenting at the conference, the RHAP team attended inspiring workshops on topics such as how to fight abortion stigma, reproductive rights organizing in flyover states, and disability justice.  We met fantastic activists and students from all over the country and are looking forward to next year’s conference!

On May 1st-5th a big RHAP contingent attended the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) annual spring conference in Baltimore, MD. Our medical director Dr. Linda Prine and Dr. Lesnewski reunited with several of our past Reproductive Health Care and Advocacy fellows to lead several panels and workshops. They covered topics such as miscarriage management, how to mentor residents and students, narrative medicine, and early abortion care.  During STFM we also hosted a small gathering for our Family Medicine Reproductive Health Network members who were attending the conference. With a mix of mentors and mentees in attendance, it was wonderful to hear how the Network helped support and enrich the work of primary care providers all over the country.

At the end of May RHAP attended the American College Health Association (ACHA) conference in Boston, MA for the first time. We exhibited at the conference to spread the word about our patient education materials and clinical tools. Rosann Mariappuram represented RHAP and spoke with dozens of students, administrators, and health care providers from colleges and universities. We raffled off one our popular Your Birth Control Choices posters and promoted RHAP’s new online store. It was a great first trip to ACHA.

This summer RHAP will also be on the road, attending the National School Based Health Care (NSBHC) convention and the New York State Academy of Family Physicians Congress of Delegates. If you will be at either event, let us know!