Patricia's current research interests include quality in abortion care, novel methods of service delivery and aftercare and cervical preparation for second trimester surgical abortion. Patricia has authored a number of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on abortion and contraception, and has contributed to clinical guidelines for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH), and Society of Family Planning. She recently served as Chair of the Expert Working Group on the specialised commissioning of complex abortion care for NHS England. Patricia is a co-founder of the British Society of Abortion Care Providers and their Education Advisor, Education Advisor for RCOG, Member of the RCOG’s Making Abortion Safe Programme Advisory Group, and an Associate Editor for BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health. Patricia received a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from the New School for Social Research, a Medical Doctorate from the University of Southern California, and a Masters of Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh. She completed training in obstetrics and gynaecology at the Harbor-ULCA Medical Center and a Fellowship in Family Planning and Contraceptive Research at the University of Pittsburgh.

Patricia Lohr Academic CV

Rebecca is a multidisciplinary researcher with an MPH from Imperial College London and BA in Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge. Her current research encompasses several projects on abortion, contraception, and public health and pregnancy. Rebecca’s interdisciplinary training means she uses wide a range of methods. Recent projects include a systematic review of abortion in low-and-middle income countries, a quantitative evaluation of telemedical abortion services in the UK, and a qualitative exploration of what ‘quality’ of care means to abortion service users. Rebecca also leads WRISK, a research-engagement project funded by the Wellcome Trust aiming to improve our understanding of the way that pregnancy-related risk is communicated.

Rebecca Blaylock Academic CV

Originally trained as an obstetrician-gynaecologist, Kate went on to specialise in abortion and family planning. She aims to perform robust research to answer clinical questions and ultimately improve patient care. She has a special interest in abortion complications and second trimester surgical abortion. Through her former role at the World Health Organization and her position at BPAS, she has extensive experience in translating research into pragmatic clinical guidance. Kate has experience performing randomized clinical trials, systematic reviews, database analyses, patient and provider surveys, and qualitative interviews. She also has a passion for medical education and has provided both didactic and hands-on training to learners across various disciplines.

Kate Whitehouse Academic CV

Rachel is a qualitative researcher with an LLM in Medical Law and Ethics, MA in Methods of Social Research, and LLB in European Legal Studies from the University of Kent. Her current research focuses on social and policy regulation of behaviour and maternal consumption during pregnancy, with a strong focus on bio-ethical and socio-legal methods. Rachel is currently a SeNSS (ESRC) funded socio-legal PhD candidate at the University of Kent, exploring the communication of risk with regards to medication use during pregnancy, post- Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board [2015]. Current projects include a legal and ethical analysis of the use of biomarkers to establish prenatal alcohol exposure, and After Choice: FASD and the ‘managed woman’, a collaborative project with Professor Ellie Lee, University of Kent.

Rachel Arkell Academic CV

Amelia provides administrative and project support within the CRRC. Her current work includes assisting with the mixed methods analysis for the “Family planning during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic” survey and the data cleaning for “Efficacy of LSPT for identifying ongoing pregnancy after MA at 64-70 days of gestation”. Prior to joining BPAS, Amelia was a trial administrator working on the PRINCIPLE Trial at the Department of Primary Care, University of Oxford. She holds a MSci in Neuroscience with Psychology from the University of Aberdeen during which she completed an industrial placement and contributed to the eCAP project with the Centre for Rural Health.