Laura Schummers

Dr. Laura Schummers is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, with affiliations to the Women’s Health Research Institute, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, and ICES McMaster. She completed her ScD in Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health (2018) and a postdoctoral fellowship at UBC (2021).

• Research Focus: Reproductive epidemiology and health policy, using linked population-based administrative data with causal inference methods to evaluate impacts of reproductive health policies.
• Key Projects: Mifepristone deregulation effects, contraception subsidies, optimal pregnancy spacing, and early pregnancy loss epidemiology.

Her recent publications (2025) analyze trends in abortion rates, contraceptive access, and gestational diabetes policy changes, primarily in Canadian contexts. Awards include the 2025 CUFA BC Distinguished Academics Early Career Award and 2022 Killam Postdoctoral Prize. She has received extensive media coverage in outlets like The Globe and Mail and Washington Post for her work on reproductive health policy.

• Scientific Awards:
  • 2025 Distinguished Academics Early Career Award (CUFA BC)
  • 2022 Labelle Lecturer (McMaster University)
  • 2022 Killam Postdoctoral Research Prize (UBC)
  • 2022 CIHR Top 10 Article
  • 2021 BCCHRI Outstanding Achievement Award
• Grants: $929,476 CIHR Project Grant (2025–2029), $2.9M CIHR Project Grant (CoPI, 2024–2028), and multiple seed grants from UBC Health and Women’s Health Research Institute.