Laura Schummers ScD
Assistant Professor of Health Outcomes, Collaboration for Outcomes Research and Evaluation
Investigator, Women’s Health Research Institute
ICES McMaster
Investigator, BC Children’s Hospital Research institute
Recruiting an incoming Masters of Science student to join my research team in Fall 2024. This student will be enrolled in the Future Leaders in Epidemiology and Health Outcomes (FLIGHT) training program within the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, with coursework spanning epidemiology, biostatistics, quantitative policy analysis, analysis of routinely collected health administrative data.
This is a fully funded MSc, with a stipend of $30k/year and full support for external funding applications.
The student will work on a CIHR-funded study examining the impact of recent contraception policy and practice change on reproductive health and birth outcomes using population-based health administrative data.
Applicants are welcome from a range of undergraduate degree programs; related research or work experience is an asset. Applicants should have excellent skills in critical thinking, scientific writing, and demonstrated success in undergraduate quantitative courses (e.g., statistics, programming).
For interested applicants: please email Dr. Schummers with a brief (max 300 word) description outlining their interest in 1) this graduate program, 2) Dr. Schummers’ research group, and 3) the specific project described above. Dr. Schummers will contact candidates for interviews in Nov-Dec 2023, with formal program applications due by January 15.
Dr. Schummers is a reproductive epidemiologist and health policy researcher. She completed her doctorate in Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in 2018 and her postdoctoral fellowship with the Contraception and Abortion Research Team in the Department of Family Practice at UBC in 2021.
Dr. Schummers conducts epidemiologic and health policy research to determine impacts of policy and practice on reproductive population health outcomes and collaborates closely with clinicians, policymakers, and patients to directly evaluate and inform improvements to policy and practice. Her research primarily uses linked population-based healthcare administrative data and draws heavily on causal inference methods.
Dr. Schummers’s program of research is centered on evaluating impacts of reproductive health policy and practice changes on health services access and population health outcomes.
Current projects include examining how 1) Canada’s globally unique regulatory approach to the medical ‘abortion pill’ mifepristone impacted abortion use, safety and access, 2) the introduction of the contraceptive implant and contraception subsidies impacted long-acting reversible contraception use and related outcomes, 3) optimal pregnancy spacing for high-risk obstetric populations, and 4) epidemiology of early pregnancy loss using Canadian linked administrative data.
Dr. Schummers couples this applied work with related methodological work to improve the rigor of epidemiological and health policy research and surveillance using health administrative data.
Schummers L, Darling EK, Dunn S, McGrail K, Gayowsky A, Law MR; Lea-Laba T; Kaczorowski J, Norman WV. Abortion safety and use with normally prescribed mifepristone in Canada. New England Journal of Medicine. 2022; 386: 57-67. doi: 10.1056/NEJMsa2109779
Schummers L, Hutcheon JA. To the editor: Study quality must be considered when drawing conclusions about long-term outcomes associated with preterm exposure to antenatal corticosteroids. JAMA Pediatrics. Accepted May 2022. Epub ahead of print: doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.2855
Schummers L; McGrail K, Darling EK, Dunn S, Gayowsky A, Kaczorowski J, Norman WV. A more accurate approach to define induced abortion cohorts using linked administrative data: an application to Ontario, Canada. International Journal of Population Data Science. 2022; 7(1) doi:10.23889/ijpds.v7i1.1700.
Schummers L, Hutcheon JA, Norman WV, Liauw J, Bolatova T, Ahrens KA. Short interpregnancy interval and pregnancy outcomes: How important is the timing of confounding variable ascertainment? Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology; 2021; 35(4): 428-437 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ppe.12716
Schummers L, Hutcheon JA, Hernandez-Diaz S, Williams PL, Hacker MR, VanderWeele TJ, Norman WV. Association of Short Interpregnancy Interval with Pregnancy Outcomes According to Maternal Age. JAMA Internal Medicine 2018; 178(12): 1661-1670 doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.4696.
Schummers L, Hutcheon JA, Hacker MR, VanderWeele TJ, Williams PL, McElrath TE, Hernandez-Diaz S. Absolute risks of adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes according to maternal age at first birth: results from a population-based cohort. Epidemiology, 2018;29(3): 379-387. PMID: 29517506 doi: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000000818.
Schummers L, Himes K, Bodnar L, Hutcheon J. Predictor characteristics necessary for building a clinically useful risk prediction model: a simulation study. BMC Medical Research Methodology. 2016;16:123. PMID: 27655140 doi:10.1186/s12874-016-0223-2
Schummers L, Hutcheon J, Bodnar L, Lieberman E, Himes K. Risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes by prepregnancy body mass index: a population-based study to inform prepregnancy weight loss counseling. Obstet Gynecol. 2015;125(1): 133-143. PMCID: PMC4285688 doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000000591
Schummers L, Liauw J. Commentary: Long interpregnancy interval and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: difficulties in interpreting and translating data to clinical practice. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology; Epidemiology; 2021; 35(4): 425-427. doi: 10.1111/ppe.12795
Nethery E, Schummers L, Levine A, Souter V, Gordon W. Birth outcomes in planned home and freestanding birth center births in Washington State. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2021;138(5): 693-702.
2022 Labelle Lecturer, McMaster University Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis: https://chepa.mcmaster.ca/news-events/labelle-lectureship
Killam Postdoctoral Research Prize 2022, University of British Columbia: https://www.postdocs.ubc.ca/article/postdoctoral-fellows-receive-killam-research-prize
2022 Top 10 Articles of the Year (2021-2022), CIHR Institute for Health Services and Policy Research and the Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research: https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/53012.html
2021 Outstanding Achievement by a Postdoctoral Fellow award, BC Children’s Health Research Institute: https://www.bcchr.ca/news/congratulations-recipients-2021-outstanding-achievement-awards
Schummers L. Improving reproductive population health through patient-oriented health policy and epidemiological research. $460,000, CIHR Patient-Oriented Research Transition to Leadership Phase 2 award, Jan 2023-Dec 2026. Dr. Laura Schummers received a 4-year CIHR Patient-Oriented Research Transition to Leadership Phase 2 award, Improving reproductive population health through patient-oriented health policy and epidemiological research.
“Examining the effect of Canada's unique medical abortion drug policy on patient abortion access and outcomes.” Schummers L (PI). CoIs: Henry B, Bryan S, Darling EK, McGrail K, Norman WV, Prasad S. $155,000. CIHR Patient Oriented Research Transition to Leadership Postdoctoral Fellowship (Phase 1). 2020-2022. Phase 2 currently under review.
“Interpregnancy Interval and Pregnancy Outcomes: Defining Optimal Intervals for High-Risk Populations.” Schummers L (PI). CoI Liauw J. $10,000. BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Clinical and Translational Seed Grant. 2020-2022.
“Pandemic Reproductive health and health Equity- Guidance from Epidemiology to improve reproductive, perinatal, and maternal mental health and substance use care” CIHR Project Grant Priority Announcement Bridge Funding.
“Catalyst to facilitate access to mifepristone and outcomes study.” Schummers L (PI). CoIs: Norman WV, Darling EK, McGrail K, Dunn S, Webster G. $25,000. Women’s Health Research Institute Catalyst Grant. 2018-2019.
“Population-based epidemiological analyses to evaluate and inform reproductive health policies in British Columbia.” Schummers L (PI). CoIs: Henry B, Norman WV. $155,000. CIHR Health System Impact Fellowship. 2018-2020.
“Mifepristone outcomes study: examining abortion access, outcomes, and costs following the introduction of mifepristone in BC.” Schummers L (PI). CoIs: Norman WV, McGrail K. $124,500. Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research; Research Trainee Award. 2018-2021
“Abortion safety and uptake with normally prescribed mifepristone.” Schummers L, Darling EK. Invited presentation to ICES Board of Directors. Toronto, ON. January 26, 2022.
“Federal success to improve abortion access in Canada: An analysis of the effect of mifepristone restriction removal and COVID 19 pandemic on abortion access and equity.” Norman WV, Schummers L. Invited presentation to Health Canada’s Chief Medical Officer, Government of Canada, and to CEO Society of Obstetricians & Gynecologists of Canada. Ottawa June 18, 2021.
Abortion utilization and safety when mifepristone is available without regulations restricting practice? A population-based study using linked health administrative data from Canada.” Schummers L. Awarded “Best of Three” Oral Presentation for the 2021 Annual Clinical and Scientific Conference of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada; Whistler, BC, June 23, 2021.
“Abortion utilization and safety following mifepristone availability and deregulation in Canada: a population-based study from Ontario.” Norman WV, Schummers L. Invited presentation to Health Canada’s Chief Medical Officer, Government of Canada, and to CEO Society of Obstetricians & Gynecologists of Canada. Ottawa February 24, 2021.
“Short interpregnancy interval and pregnancy outcomes: How important is the timing of confounding variable ascertainment?“ Schummers L. 2020 Society of Perinatal Epidemiologic Research; December 16, 2020: Boston, MA
“Short interpregnancy interval and pregnancy outcomes: How important is the timing of confounding variable ascertainment?“ Schummers L. 2020 Society of Epidemiologic Research; December 16, 2020: Boston, MA
Schummers L, Darling EK, Gayoswky A, Dunn S, McGrail K, Law MR, Laba TL, Norman WV. Do medication abortion complications increase without regulations restricting mifepristone practice? a population-based study using single-payer linked health administrative data from Ontario, Canada, 2012-2019. Research presentation at the National Abortion Federation of Canada Annual Meeting November 21, 2020.
FDA should scrap needless restrictions on Abortion pills. Lisa Jarvis. The Washington Post. Interview with Dr. Schummers on NEJM research article and abortion access context in Canada and the U.S. May 6. 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/the-fda-should-scrap-needless-restrictions-on-abortion-pills/2022/05/06/2c8f27a0-cd34-11ec-b7ee-74f09d827ca6_story.html
“What the U.S. overturning Roe v. Wade means for Canada.” Lauren Vogel with files from Diana Duong. CMAJ News. Interview with Dr. Schummers on Jan 2022 NEJM research article and abortion access context in Canada and the U.S. May 6. 2022. https://cmajnews.com/2022/05/06/roe-v-wade-canada-1096000/
“The FDA Just Lifted A Major Restriction On Abortion Pills. Here’s What You Need To Know.” Theresa Tamkins. BuzzFeed News Reporter. December 16, 2021. Interview with Dr. Schummers on Jan 2022 NEJM research article. Dec16. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/theresatamkins/abortion-pills
FDA relaxes controversial restrictions on access to abortion pill by mail. Sarah McCammon and Johnathan Franklin. NPR News. New reference to Dr. Schummers’s research published in Jan 2022 NEJM. Dec16. https://www.npr.org/2021/12/15/1064598531/the-fda-could-permanently-lift-some-restrictions-on-abortion-pills
“C-section complication risk rises with mother's age.” Rapaport L. Reuters News. April 11, 2019. Expert comment on published research by Dr. Schummers. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-cesarean/c-section-complication-risk-rises-with-mothers-age-idUSKCN1RN2SN
“Wait at least a year before conceiving another baby to minimize health risks, new study suggests.” CBC The National. Ireland N. October 31, 2018, featured on the National 6:00 televised news, published online. News summary of Dr. Schummers’ research published in JAMA Internal Medicine. https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/space-out-pregnancies-by-at-least-a-year-study-1.4884979
How Long Should Older Moms Wait Before Getting Pregnant Again? Goldberg C. National Public Radio (NPR). Radio segment aired across the United States, published on the CommonHealth WBUR blog, and syndicated in the Shots National Health News from NPR. News summary of Dr. Schummers’ research published in JAMA Internal Medicine in Nov 2018. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/11/01/663181674/how-long-should-older-moms-wait-before-getting-pregnant-again
Does Delaying a Second Pregnancy Improve Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes? Barbieri L. New England Journal of Medicine Journal Watch. News summary of Dr. Schummers’ research published in JAMA Internal Medicine. November 8, 2018.
https://www.jwatch.org/na47821/2018/11/08/does-delaying-second-pregnancy-improve-maternal-and
