Katie Woodruff, DrPH
Public Health Social Scientist
Katie Woodruff, DrPH, is a Public Health Social Scientist at ANSIRH. Her research explores the intersection of public discourse and public policy related to reproductive health in the U.S. She conducts qualitative and mixed methods studies on news and entertainment media portrayals of abortion, policy approaches to substance use in pregnancy, and the role of evidence in health policymaking. She aims to conduct research to inform and improve the policies that shape and limit reproductive health and wellbeing.
Dr. Woodruff’s previous work includes an original qualitative exploration of how U.S. state legislators use scientific evidence when making policy decisions on abortion and substance use in pregnancy. She has also studied how the news media frame reproductive health issues, conducting ethnographic content analyses of news coverage of abortion and emergency contraception, among other public health topics. Dr. Woodruff received her BA from Brown University and her MPH and DrPH from the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health.
For a full list of Dr. Woodruff's publications, awards, and presentations, click here.
Citations
- Herold S, Woodruff K. ‘It made me feel compassion for her as if I was rewatching myself’: an exploratory study of how people who have had abortions respond to three contemporary television abortion plotlines. Culture Health & Sexuality. April 2026; https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2026.2641524.
- Woodruff K, Ren C, Pleasants E. Medication Abortion Coverage in Major U.S. Newspapers, 2022–2023: A Multi-Method Analysis. Journal of Sexuality Research and Social Policy. June 2025; https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-025-01130-7.
- Gould H, Claudia Zaugg, MPH, Biggs MA, Woodruff K, Long W, Mailman K, Vega J, Roberts SCM. Mandatory Warning Signs for Cannabis: Perspectives and Preferences of Pregnant and Recently Pregnant People Who Use Cannabis. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. February 2025; https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.23-00214.
- Woodruff K, Wingo E, Berglas NF, Roberts SCM. Abortion and the Mission of MCH: Perspectives of MCH and Family Planning Professionals in Health Departments. Maternal and Child Health Journal. October 2021; DOI: 10.1007/s10995-021-03235-y.
- Woodruff K, Scott KA, Roberts SCM. Pregnant People’s Experiences Discussing Their Cannabis Use with Prenatal Care Providers in a State with Legalized Cannabis. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. August 2021; doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108998. [Epub ahead of print].
- Woodruff K, Berglas NF, Herold S, Roberts SCM. Disseminating Evidence on Abortion Facilities to Health Departments: A Randomized Study of E-mail Strategies. Health Communications. June 2021; [Epub ahead of print].
- Woodruff K, Roberts SCM. “My good friends on the other side of the aisle aren’t bothered by those facts”: U.S. State legislators’ use of evidence in making policy on abortion. Contraception. April 2020; 101(4):249-255.
- Berglas NF, Woodruff K, Roberts SCM. Approaches, barriers, and facilitators to abortion-related work in U.S. health departments: perspectives of maternal and child health and family planning professionals. BMC Public Health. March 2020; 20(1):299.
- Woodruff K, Schroeder R, Herold S, Roberts SCM, Berglas NF. Experiences of harassment and empowerment after sharing personal abortion stories publicly. Contraception: X. February 2020; 20:100021.
- Woodruff K, Roberts SCM. “Alcohol During Pregnancy? Nobody Does That Anymore”: State Legislators’ Use of Evidence in Making Policy on Alcohol Use in Pregnancy. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. June 2019; 80(3):380–388.
- Woodruff K. Coverage of Abortion in Select U.S. Newspapers. Women's Health Issues. October 2018; 29(1):80-86.
- Woodruff K, Gould H, Biggs MA, Foster DG. Attitudes Toward Abortion After Receiving vs. Being Denied an Abortion in the USA. Journal of Sexuality Research and Social Policy. March 2018; 15(4):452-463.
- Sisson G, Herold S, Woodruff K. “The stakes are so high”: interviews with progressive journalists reporting on abortion. Contraception. September 2017; 96(6):395-400.
The latest research
See allApril 24, 2026
‘It made me feel compassion for her as if I was rewatching myself’: an exploratory study of how people who have had abortions respond to three contemporary television abortion plotlines
Herold S, Woodruff K. ‘It made me feel compassion for her as if I was rewatching myself’: an exploratory study of how people who have had abortions respond to three contemporary television abortion plotlines. Culture Health & Sexuality. April 2026; https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2026.2641524.
June 14, 2025
Medication Abortion Coverage in Major U.S. Newspapers, 2022–2023: A Multi-Method Analysis
Woodruff K, Ren C, Pleasants E. Medication Abortion Coverage in Major U.S. Newspapers, 2022–2023: A Multi-Method Analysis. Journal of Sexuality Research and Social Policy. June 2025; https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-025-01130-7.
February 6, 2025
Mandatory Warning Signs for Cannabis: Perspectives and Preferences of Pregnant and Recently Pregnant People Who Use Cannabis
Gould H, Claudia Zaugg, MPH, Biggs MA, Woodruff K, Long W, Mailman K, Vega J, Roberts SCM. Mandatory Warning Signs for Cannabis: Perspectives and Preferences of Pregnant and Recently Pregnant People Who Use Cannabis. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. February 2025; https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.23-00214.
October 8, 2021
Abortion and the Mission of MCH: Perspectives of MCH and Family Planning Professionals in Health Departments
Woodruff K, Wingo E, Berglas NF, Roberts SCM. Abortion and the Mission of MCH: Perspectives of MCH and Family Planning Professionals in Health Departments. Maternal and Child Health Journal. October 2021; DOI: 10.1007/s10995-021-03235-y.