Julie Maslowsky

Dr. Julie Maslowsky is an Associate Professor of Health Behavior and Clinical Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Nursing and Associate Professor of Health Behavior and Health Equity at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She is also a Research Associate Professor at the UM Institute for Social Research. Her work focuses on adolescent health with a particular emphasis on sexual and reproductive health including contraception and abortion.

Dr. Maslowsky's research integrates adolescent developmental science with population and reproductive health to inform developmentally appropriate policies and practices. She is a team scientist, builder, and interdisciplinary scholar whose work has been funded by multiple institutes of the NIH. She founded Youth Reproductive Equity, the nation's leading research collaborative focused on adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health post-Dobbs v. Jackson.

Her research interests span adolescent development and health, sexual and reproductive health, population health, health policy, and health equity. Dr. Maslowsky has received notable awards including the Outstanding Adolescent Health Initiative from the University of Michigan Adolescent Health Initiative, being named a Public Voices Fellow by The Op-Ed Project, and receiving the Compassion in Action Award presented by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Dr. Maslowsky is currently leading several major research projects:

• Creating a state-level policy data dashboard to facilitate research on reproductive health (NICHD R01HD115716, PI, 9/16/2024-5/31/2029)
• Development of a digital decision support tool to facilitate developmentally appropriate adolescent contraceptive counseling in primary care (NICHD R21HD107460, PI, 9/12/2022-8/31/2024)
• Research roadmap on policy-ready research for youth abortion access (William T. Grant Foundation, PI, 1/1/2023-12/31/2023)

Her publications demonstrate strong focus on adolescent perspectives on contraception post-Dobbs, the impact of abortion restrictions on minors, and the role of developmental science in reproductive health policy. Her work appears in high-impact journals including JAMA, Health Affairs, Pediatrics, and JAMA Pediatrics.

Dr. Maslowsky serves on multiple professional organizations:

• Co-Director of Social Science and Medicine at the Center for History, Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Ethics in Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School (2025-present)
• Affiliate, Institute for Health Policy and Innovation, University of Michigan (2024-present)
• Affiliate, Institute for Research on Women and Gender, University of Michigan (2024-present)
• Society of Family Planning (Chair of Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Special Interest Group, 2021-2025)

As an educator, Dr. Maslowsky teaches courses on social determinants of health, intervention development, implementation science, and grant writing. She actively mentors students and is currently accepting new PhD students. Her media appearances in outlets like The Washington Post, NPR, and The Conversation demonstrate her commitment to translating research into public discourse on adolescent sexual and reproductive health.