Profile picture for user bianca.allison@unchealth.unc.edu

Bianca Ansu Allison

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapter Member: North Carolina SSN
Areas of Expertise:

About Bianca

Allison's research focuses on developing and evaluating interventions to improve adolescent-centeredness of sexual and reproductive health care in primary care settings. Overarching themes in Allison's writings include provider biases in contraceptive counseling and care, increased LARC initiation and continuation for marginalized populations, delineation of how adolescents build trust with providers in primary care, and adolescents' awareness of the evolving abortion landscape. Allison serves as an active member of Youth Reproductive Equity, on the North Carolina Pharmacy-Initiated Contraception advisory board, and as a reviewer for multiple high impact peer-reviewed journals.

In the News

Research discussed by Elisha Brown, in "News from the States," September 1, 2023.
Quoted by Rachel Crumpler in "Here’s What You Need To Know About Your Birth Control Options," North Carolina Health News, December 9, 2022.
Interviewed in "Centering Youth in Supporting Access to Comprehensive Reproductive and Sexual Health Services," (with Aisha Mays and Sarah Wood) PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, November 12, 2022.
Research discussed by "Study: Young Cisgender Women Are Less Adherent to PrEP," Relias Media, September 1, 2021.
Research discussed by Bettina Barillas, in "Understanding Adolescent Perspectives on Abortion Restrictions: Insights from a MyVoice Project," MyVoice, June 21, 2021.

Publications

"Exploring Adolescent-Facing US Clinicians’ Perceptions of Their Contraceptive Counseling and Use of Shared Decision-Making: A Qualitative Study" (with Madeline Thornton, Emily S. Mann, Brooke W. Bullington, Joline Hartheime, and Kavita Shah Arora). Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health (2024).

Examines how US-based clinicians who counsel adolescents about contraception implement shared decision-making (SDM) practices. Finds that many clinicians use non-patient-centered techniques, highlighting a need for practice recommendations to better align with SDM principles and improve patient-centered care.

"Adolescent Awareness of the Changing Legal Landscape of Abortion in the United States and Its Implications" (with Kinsey Vear, Andrea J Hoopes, and Julie Maslowsky). Journal of Adolescent Health 73, no. 2 (2023): 230-236.

Found that a nationwide sample of adolescents were aware of and had concerns about the potential impact of legal changes on young people, highlighting the importance of centering adolescents’ abortion policy and practice.

"A Nationwide Sample of Adolescents and Young Adults Share Where They Would Go Online for Abortion Information After Dobbs v. Jackson" (with Renee M Odom, Kinsey Vear, Andrea J Hoopes, and Julie Maslowsky). Journal of Adolescent Health (2023).

Analyzed which online resources adolescents and young adults (AYA) would access for abortion information in the post-Roe era. Highlights the information-seeking behaviors and needs of AYA with varied sexual health risk-factors.

"Single-Visit Insertion of Long-Acting Reversible Contraception in a Single Health System" (with Gretchen S Stuart, Lindsey Yates, Johanna Crump, Ashley L Navarro, Ananya Tadikonda, Genevieve Neal-Perry, and Kavita S Arora). Contraception (2023).

Found that among individuals seeking long-acting reversible contraceptives from clinics in a single health system in North Carolina, most received a device at a single visit and most single-visit insertions were done by an obstetrician-gynecologist.

"Exploring the Complexity of Telehealth Privacy Through a Lens of Adolescent Development" (with Samantha Rea, Lisa Mikesell, Catherine Cuddihy, and Martha Perry). Qualitative Health Research 33, no. 3 (2023): 220-235.

Found that adolescent privacy in health care can contribute to positive youth development, though telehealth visits have created complexity in how privacy is organized for adolescents. Parental presence both contributed to and detracted from adolescent emotional safety.

"Effectiveness of Contraceptive Decision Aids in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review" (with Anna Jones and Martha Perry). Journal of Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology 35, no. 1 (2022): 7-17.

Systematic review that evaluated a range of contraceptive decision aid formats for adolescents and young adults. Found that decision aids appear to be effective at increasing contraceptive knowledge temporarily, but their effect on other contraceptive outcomes is unclear.