Assistant Professor
Education and Training
DrPH, - Health Behavior, George Washington University
MPH, - Health, Behavior, and Society, University of California, Berkeley
BA, - Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz
Biography
Dr. Sedlander is an Assistant Professor and Social and Behavioral Scientist. Her research portfolio seeks to uncover mechanisms to help women achieve their reproductive goals throughout the life course (from pregnancy prevention to infertility prevention).
Dr. Sedlander developed and validated the G-NORM, a gender norms scale, in India, Nepal, and Uganda. As part of her dissertation, Dr. Sedlander and colleagues also implemented and evaluated a randomized controlled trial in India to improve nutritional behaviors among women using a social norms approach.
In her prior research in Kenya and Ethiopia, she used mixed methods (including social network analysis) to show that women were not using contraception because they (or people in their networks) believed it would make them infertile, which is highly stigmatized. These findings inspired her to examine infertility more closely. She is currently studying beliefs about infertility among men, women, and providers in Tanzania. Given that couples living with HIV have higher rates of infertility but antiretroviral therapy (ART) improves their chances of getting pregnant, she is also studying perceptions about how HIV and ART affect their ability to get pregnant to inform a future ART adherence intervention.
Dr. Sedlander developed and validated the G-NORM, a gender norms scale, in India, Nepal, and Uganda. As part of her dissertation, Dr. Sedlander and colleagues also implemented and evaluated a randomized controlled trial in India to improve nutritional behaviors among women using a social norms approach.
In her prior research in Kenya and Ethiopia, she used mixed methods (including social network analysis) to show that women were not using contraception because they (or people in their networks) believed it would make them infertile, which is highly stigmatized. These findings inspired her to examine infertility more closely. She is currently studying beliefs about infertility among men, women, and providers in Tanzania. Given that couples living with HIV have higher rates of infertility but antiretroviral therapy (ART) improves their chances of getting pregnant, she is also studying perceptions about how HIV and ART affect their ability to get pregnant to inform a future ART adherence intervention.
Research Interests
July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027 - Investigating a Novel ART Adherence Strategy – Harnessing Fertility Desires Among Women with HIV , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH - KL2 Training Grant, Sponsor Award ID: 2KL2TR001870-09
July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2025 - Advancing our understanding of attitudes, beliefs, and social norms related to infertility in Tanzania , Principle Investigator . Sponsor: UCSF Society of Hellman Scholars, Sponsor Award ID: unknown
June 1, 2024 - June 1, 2025 - Understanding Women Living with HIV’s Perceptions of the Relationship between HIV, ART, and Fertility , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: CFAR - Center for AIDS Research, Sponsor Award ID: P30 AI027763
October 1, 2023 - February 28, 2025 - Protecting fertility as a critical part of the sexual and reproductive lifecourse in Tanzania , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: UC Berkeley Population Center, Sponsor Award ID: unknown
December 1, 2019 - November 30, 2024 - Optimizing Approaches to Implementation of Contraceptive Self-Injection , Director of Research and Dissemination . Sponsor: The Gates Foundation, Sponsor Award ID: OPP1216593
August 1, 2023 - August 30, 2024 - Dissemination of an Adapted and Validated Gender Norms Measure in Uganda , Principle Investigator . Sponsor: UCSF Resource Allocation Funds (RAP), Sponsor Award ID: A143327
Publications
Perceptions About the Relationship Between HIV, Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), and Fecundity in Sub-Saharan Africa: Findings from a Systematic Scoping Review.
Publication Year
2026
How gender norms and interpersonal communication are associated with gender-based violence attitudes and intentions to intervene: Secondary outcome findings from Odisha, India.
Publication Year
2025
Introduction to the special supplement, unlocking the potential of self-injectable contraception: evidence from coordinated investments.
Publication Year
2025