Corinne Rocca 2021 Headshot

Corinne Rocca, PhD, MPH

Professor, Epidemiologist

Corinne Rocca is an epidemiologist whose work brings rigorous scientific evidence to the improvement of policies and clinical practice around contraception and abortion in the US and globally. Her research focuses on investigating how social and attitudinal factors contribute to pregnancy decision-making and reproductive well-being within the context of people’s relationships and lives. She employs advanced psychometric techniques, including item response modeling, to improve the measurement of latent social and attitudinal variables to better understand how they shape contraceptive and pregnancy decisions. For instance, her work is advancing how researchers conceptualize and measure pregnancy preferences and desires, allowing for ambivalence and uncertainty. Dr. Rocca is leading the ADAPT Study, a longitudinal study examining pregnancy decision-making and care seeking, and the consequences of less desired pregnancy for women’s well-being. Other areas of research include individuals’ emotions after undesired pregnancy and access to medication abortion in Nepal. She has an MPH from Columbia University and a PhD from UC Berkeley and is a former NICHD Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) scholar.

Citations
  • Murro R, Raifman S, Boscardin WJ, Puri M, Karki S, Magar AA, Maharjan D, Rocca CH, Biggs MA, Diamond-Smith N, Foster DG. Cohort profile: The Nepal Turnaway Study. medRxiv. March 2026; https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.03.10.26348060.
  • Kimport K, Schroeder R, Rocca CH. Caller Volume and Gestational Length at an Abortion Fund After Dobbs. Jama Network Open. December 2025; https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.46508.
  • Steiner RJ, Axelson SM, Nuñez-Eddy C, Williams K, Borrero S, Desai S, Mistry JD, Fowler CI, Lindberg LD, Maddow-Zimet I, Rice W, Rocca CH, Smith M, Wilkinson TA. What is Contraceptive Access? A Comprehensive, Multi-Level Framework to Inform Research, Policy, and Practice. Contraception. October 2025; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2025.111271.
  • Bullington BW, Isabel Muñoz, PhD, Boscardin WJ, Rocca CH. Pregnancy Preferences and Incident Pregnancy in the US. Jama Network Open. October 2025; https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.36697.
  • Raifman S, Roberts SCM, Rocca CH. Alcohol and drug use and attainment of pregnancy preferences in the southwestern United States: A longitudinal cohort study. Addiction. July 2025; https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70135.
  • Cavalcante da Silva Ale C, Hall J, Barrett G, Rocca CH, Borges ALV. Cultural adaptation and validation of the desire to avoid pregnancy scale in Brazil. PLOS One. July 2025; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0327553.
  • Rodriguez MI, Rapp K, Burns H, Harper CC, Rocca CH. Measuring contraceptive agency in the community. Contraception. July 2025; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2025.111044.
  • Nathan SF, Chapman SA, Brindis CD, Rocca CH. Associations Among Sociodemographic and Contextual Factors and Youth Pregnancy Preferences. Journal of Adolescent Health. June 2025; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2025.03.017.
  • Rocca CH, Gould H, Elizabeth Gonzalez, Foster DG, Isabel Muñoz, PhD, Miriam Parra, RN, Ralph LJ. Cohort profile: the ADAPT study, a prospective study of pregnancy preferences, pregnancy, and health and well-being in the southwestern USA. BMJ Open. September 2024; https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-085372.
  • Biggs MA, Foster DG, Rocca CH, Steinberg JR, Upadhyay UD. Correcting the scientific record on abortion and mental health outcomes. BMJ. February 2024; https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-076518.
  • Rocca CH, Isabel Muñoz, PhD, Rao L, Levin S, Tzvieli O, Harper CC. Measuring a Critical Component of Contraceptive Decision Making: The Contraceptive Concerns and Beliefs Scale. Maternal and Child Health Journal. January 2024; https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-023-03856-5.
  • Raifman S, Roberts SCM, Biggs MA, Rocca CH. Is legal recreational cannabis associated with cannabis use during pregnancy, beliefs about safety, and perceived community stigma?. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. January 2024; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.111079.
  • Hall J, Barrett G, Stephenson J, Rocca CH, Edelman NL. Predictive ability of the Desire to Avoid Pregnancy scale. Reproductive Health. September 2023; https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-023-01687-9.
  • Rao L, Rocca CH, Isabel Muñoz, PhD, Chambers BD, Devaskar S, Asiodu I, Stern L, Blum M, Comfort AB, Harper CC. "She should support me, she's my doctor:" Patient perceptions of agency in contraceptive decision-making in the clinical encounter in Northern California. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. May 2023; https://doi.org/10.1363/psrh.12226.
  • Newmann SJ, Jennifer Monroe Zakaras, Rocca CH, Gorrindo P, Ndunyu L, Gitome S, Mellissa Withers, Bukusi EA, Dworkin S. Transforming masculine norms to improve men's contraceptive acceptance: results from a pilot intervention with men in western Kenya. Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters. February 2023; https://doi.org/10.1080/26410397.2023.2170084.
  • Strong J, Coast E, Freeman E, Moore AM, Norris A, Owolabi O, Rocca CH. Pregnancy recognition trajectories: a needed framework. Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters. February 2023; https://doi.org/10.1080/26410397.2023.2167552.
  • Hall J, Barrett G, Stephenson J, Edelman NL, Rocca CH. Desire to Avoid Pregnancy scale: clinical considerations and comparison with other questions about pregnancy preferences. BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health. January 2023; https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsrh-2022-201750.
  • Rocca CH, Smith M, Hale N, Khoury A. Ranges of pregnancy preferences and contraceptive use: Results from a population-based survey in the southeast United States. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. September 2022; DOI: 10.1363/psrh.12205.
  • Harper CC, Rao L, Isabel Muñoz, PhD, Stern L, Kerns JL, Miriam Parra, RN, Chambers BD, Rocca CH. Agency in Contraceptive Decision-Making in Patient Care: a Psychometric Measure. Journal of General Internal Medicine. September 2022; DOI: 10.1007/s11606-022-07774-0.
  • Biggs MA, Rocca CH. Forecasting the mental health harms of overturning Roe v Wade. BMJ. July 2022; DOI: 10.1136/bmj.o1890.
  • Hall J, Barrett G, Rocca CH. Evaluation of the Desire to Avoid Pregnancy Scale in the UK: a psychometric analysis including predictive validity. BMJ Open. July 2022; DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-060287.
  • Rocca CH, Miriam Parra, RN, Isabel Muñoz, PhD, Foster DG, Boscardin WJ, Ralph LJ. Comparison of Pregnancy Preferences Preceding vs Year 1 of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Jama Network Open. July 2022; DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.20093.
  • Ralph LJ, Foster DG, Barar RE, Rocca CH. Home pregnancy test use and timing of pregnancy confirmation among people seeking health care. Contraception. March 2022; DOI: 10.1016/j.contraception.2021.10.006.
  • Chris Ahlbach, Puri M, Daniel S, Rocca CH, Karki S, Foster DG. Predictors of prior unsuccessful pharmacy abortion attempts among women presenting for abortion in government certified clinics in Nepal. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics. February 2022; DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.14141.
  • Ralph LJ, Foster DG, Barar RE, Rocca CH. Home pregnancy test use and timing of pregnancy confirmation among people seeking healthcare. Contraception. November 2021; DOI: 10.1016/j.contraception.2021.10.006.
  • Newmann SJ, Jennifer Monroe Zakaras, Dworkin S, Mellissa Withers, Ndunyu L, Gitome S, Gorrindo P, Bukusi EA, Rocca CH. Measuring men's gender norm beliefs related to contraception: Development of the masculine norms and family planning acceptance scale. Archives of Sexual Behavior. April 2021; [Epub ahead of print].
  • Gipson JD, Bornstein M, Berger A, Rocca CH. Desire to avoid pregnancy and contraceptive use among female methadone patients in Los Angeles. Contraception. February 2021; Epub ahead of print.
  • Freedman LR, Landy U, Langton C, Rocca CH, Bennett AH, Ly E. Interprofessional abortion opposition: A national survey and qualitative interviews with abortion training program directors at U.S. teaching hospitals. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. January 2021; 52(4):235-244.
  • El Ayadi AM, Rocca CH, Averbach S, Goodman S, Darney PD, Patel A, Harper CC. Intrauterine devices and sexually transmitted infection among older adolescents and young adults in a cluster randomized trial. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. December 2020; S1083-3188(20)30396-X.
  • Rocca CH, Moseson H, Gould H, Foster DG, Kimport K. Emotions over five years after denial of abortion in the United States: Contextualizing the effects of abortion denial on women's health and lives. Social Science & Medicine. November 2020; 113567.
  • Rowland B, Rocca CH, Ralph LJ. Certainty and intention in pregnancy decision-making: An exploratory study. Contraception. November 2020; j.contraception.2020.11.003.
  • Holt HK, Sawaya GF, El Ayadi AM, Henderson JT, Rocca CH, Westoff CL, Harper CC. Delayed visits for contraception due to concerns regarding pelvic examination among women with history of intimate partner violence. Journal of General Internal Medicine. November 2020; s11606-020-06334-8.
  • Harper CC, Comfort AB, Blum M, Rocca CH, McCulloch CE, Rao L, Shah N, Oquendo Del Toro H, Goodman S. Implementation science: Scaling a training intervention to include IUDs and implants in contraceptive services in primary care. Preventative Medicine. October 2020; j.ypmed.2020.106290.
  • Rocca CH, Gould H. Desire to Avoid Pregnancy Scale_English. July 2020.
  • Rocca CH, Gould H. Desire to Avoid Pregnancy Scale_Spanish. July 2020.
  • Zeldovich VB, Rocca CH, Langton C, Landy U, Ly ES, Freedman LR. Abortion policies in U.S. teaching hospitals: Formal and informal parameters beyond the law. Obstetrics & Gynecology. May 2020; 135(6):1296-1305.
  • Ralph LJ, Foster DG, Rocca CH. Comparing Prospective and Retrospective Reports of Pregnancy Intention in a Longitudinal Cohort of U.S. Women. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. March 2020; 52(1):39-48.
  • Stulberg DB, Datta A, VanGompel EW, Schueler K, Rocca CH. One Key Question® and the Desire to Avoid Pregnancy Scale: A comparison of two approaches to asking about pregnancy preferences. Contraception. April 2020; 101(4):231-236.
  • Rocca CH, Samari G, Foster DG, Gould H, Kimport K. Emotions and decision rightness over five years following an abortion: An examination of decision difficulty and abortion stigma. Social Science & Medicine. January 2020; 248(2020):112704.
  • Samari G, Foster DG, Ralph LJ, Rocca CH. Pregnancy preferences and contraceptive use among US women. Contraception. January 2020; 101(2):79-85.
  • Rocca CH, Wilson MR, Jeon M, Foster DG. Stability of Retrospective Pregnancy Intention Reporting Among Women with Unwanted Pregnancies in the United States. Maternal and Child Health Journal. June 2019; 23:1547-1555.
  • Foster DG, Gipson JD, Rocca CH, Biggs MA. Effects of Carrying an Unwanted Pregnancy to Term on Women's Existing Children. The Journal of Pediatrics. February 2019; 205:183-189.e1.
  • Rocca CH, Ralph LJ, Wilson M, Gould H, Foster DG. Psychometric Evaluation of an Instrument to Measure Prospective Pregnancy Preferences: The Desire to Avoid Pregnancy Scale. Medical Care. February 2019; 57(2):152-158.
  • Upadhyay UD, Aztlan-James EA, Rocca CH, Foster DG. Intended pregnancy after receiving vs. being denied a wanted abortion. Contraception. January 2019; 99(1):42-47.
  • Foster DG, Biggs MA, Gipson JD, Kimport K, Rocca CH. Comparison of Health, Development, Maternal Bonding, and Poverty Among Children Born After Denial of Abortion vs After Pregnancies Subsequent to an Abortion. JAMA Pediatrics. September 2018; 172(11):1053-1060.
  • Samari G, Puri M, Cohen R, Blum M, Rocca CH. Pharmacy Provision of Medication Abortion in Nepal: Pharmacy Owner and Worker Perspectives. International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. September 2018; 44(3):81-89.
  • Goodman S, El Ayadi AM, Rocca CH, Kohn JE, Benedict CE, Dieseldorff JR, Harper CC. The intrauterine device as emergency contraception: How much do young women know?. Contraception. August 2018; 98(2):115-119.
  • Puri M, Harper CC, Maharjan D, Blum M, Rocca CH. Pharmacy access to medical abortion from trained providers and post‐abortion contraception in Nepal. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics. July 2018; 143(2):211-216.
  • Averbach S, Puri M, Blum M, Rocca CH. Gestational dating using last menstrual period and bimanual exam for medication abortion in pharmacies and health centers in Nepal.. Contraception. June 2018; 98(4):296-300.
  • Moseson H, Foster DG, Upadhyay UD, Vittinghoff E, Rocca CH. Contraceptive Use over Five Years After Receipt Or Denial of Abortion Services. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. March 2018; 50(1):7-14.
  • Thompson KMJ, Rocca CH, Stern L, Morfesis J, Goodman S, Steinauer JE, Harper CC. Training contraceptive providers to offer intrauterine devices and implants in contraceptive care: a cluster randomized trial. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. March 2018; 218(6):597.e1-597.e7.
  • Barrett G, Hall JA, Borges ALV, Rocca CH, Almaghaslah E, Stephenson J. Commentary on Drevin et al., 2017. Measuring pregnancy planning: a psychometric evaluation comparison of two scales. Journal of Advanced Nursing. February 2018; Blog post.
  • Rocca CH, Puri M, Shrestha P, Blum M, Maharjan D, Grossman D, Regmi K, Darney PD, Harper CC. Effectiveness and safety of early medication abortion provided in pharmacies by auxiliary nurse-midwives: A non-inferiority study in Nepal. PLOS One. January 2018; 13(1):e0191174.
  • Rocca CH, Goodman S, Grossman D, Cadwaller K, Thompson KMJ, Talmont E, Speidel JJ, Harper CC. Contraception after medication abortion in the United States: results from a cluster randomized trial. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. January 2018; 218(1):107.e1-107.e8.
  • Rocca CH, Goodman S, Grossman D, Cadwallader K, Thompson KM, Talmont E, Speidel JJ, Harper CC. Contraception after medication abortion in the United States: Results from a cluster randomized trial. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. October 2017; 218(1):107.e1-107.e8.
  • El Ayadi AM, Rocca CH, Kohn JE, Velazquez D, Blum M, Newmann SJ, Harper CC. The impact of an IUD and implant intervention on dual method use among young women: Results from a cluster randomized trial. Preventative Medicine. January 2017; 94:1-6.
  • Gibbs SE, Rocca CH, Bednarek P, Thompson KM, Darney PD, Harper CC. Long-Acting Reversible Contraception Counseling and Use for Older Adolescents and Nulliparous Women. Journal of Adolescent Health. December 2016; 59(6):703-709.
  • Newmann SJ, Rocca CH, Jennifer Monroe Zakaras, Onono M, Bukusi EA, Grossman D, Cohen CR. Does Integrating Family Planning into HIV Services Improve Gender Equitable Attitudes? Results from a Cluster Randomized Trial in Nyanza, Kenya. AIDS and Behavior. September 2016; 20(9):1883-92.
  • Rocca CH, Thompson KM, Goodman S, Westhoff CL, Harper CC. Funding policies and postabortion long-acting reversible contraception:results from a cluster randomized trial. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. June 2016; 214(6):716.e1-8.
  • Thompson KM, Rocca CH, Kohn JE, Goodman S, Stern L, Blum M, Speidel JJ, Darney PD, Harper CC. Public funding for contraception, provider training, and use of highly effective contraceptives: A cluster randomized trial. American Journal of Public Health. March 2016; 106(3):541-6.
  • Wang LF, Puri M, Rocca CH, Blum M, Henderson JT. Service provider perspectives on post-abortion contraception in Nepal. Culture Health & Sexuality. February 2016; 18(2):221-32.
  • Rocca CH, Kimport K, Roberts SCM, Gould H, Neuhaus J, Foster DG. Decision Rightness and Emotional Responses to Abortion in the United States: A Longitudinal Study. PLOS One. July 2015; 10(7):e0128832.
  • Biggs MA, Rocca CH, Brindis CD, Hirsch H, Grossman D. Did Increasing Use of Highly Effective Contraception Contribute to Declining Abortions in Iowa?. Contraception. February 2015.
  • Roberts SCM, Biggs MA, Chibber KS, Gould H, Rocca CH, Foster DG. Risk of Violence From the Man Involved in the Pregnancy After Receiving or Being Denied an Abortion. BMC Medicine. September 2014; 12:144.
  • Harris LF, Roberts SCM, Biggs MA, Rocca CH, Foster DG. Perceived stress and emotional social support among women who are denied or receive abortions in the United States: a prospective cohort study. BMC Women's Health. June 2014; 14:76.
  • Roberts SCM, Rocca CH, Foster DG. Receiving versus being denied an abortion and subsequent drug use. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. January 2014; 134:63-70.
  • Rocca CH, Kimport K, Gould H, Foster DG. Women’s Emotions One Week After Receiving or Being Denied an Abortion in the United States. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. September 2013; 45(3):122-31.

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