Mara Decker * UCSF Profiles

Mara Decker, DrPH

Title(s)	Assistant Professor, Institute for Health Policy Studies
School	School of Medicine
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Biography

Education and Training

University of California, Berkeley	DrPH	School of Public Health
Johns Hopkins University	MHS	School of Public Health
Pomona College	BA	International Relations

Overview

Mara Decker is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies and the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health. She oversees a portfolio of applied research projects and evaluations focusing on sexual and reproductive health both domestically and globally.

She is the Principal Investigator of a randomized control trial that combines in-person health education with digital technology and was designed with youth. In addition, she directs the evaluation of California’s sexual health education programs and a bi-national qualitative study of pregnant and parenting adolescents. Her research interests include the intersection between health and other developmental issues including policies, human rights, social ecology, and empowerment. Most of her work involves mixed qualitative and quantitative methods and is dedicated to identifying and reducing health disparities.

She teaches "Women's Health and Empowerment" in the Master of Science in Global Health program at UCSF and "Evaluation of Health and Social Programs" at UC Berkeley. She also is on the Data and Evaluation Committee of California’s Adolescent Sexual Health Work Group, is a member of the UC Center of Expertise on Women’s Health and Empowerment, and is an advisor to the UNFPA’s adolescent health efforts.

Interests

Sexual and reproductive health, youth and adolescents, applied research, social epidemiology, health and empowerment, program evaluation, health disparities, global health and development, demographic change and the environment, human rights, social ecology

ORNG Applications

Clinical Trials

Featured Publications

Global Health

Featured Presentations

Featured Videos

Bibliographic

Publications

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Researchers can login to make corrections and additions, or contact us for help.

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Yarger J, Berglas NF, Campa M, Chabot M, Decker MJ. Trends in Adolescent Birth Rates in California: Examining the Influence of Community Characteristics Through Geographic and Temporal Analysis. J Adolesc Health. 2020 Feb; 66(2):217-223. PMID: 31704107.

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Decker MJ, Isquick S, Tilley L, Zhi Q, Gutman A, Luong W, Brindis CD. Neighborhoods matter. A systematic review of neighborhood characteristics and adolescent reproductive health outcomes. Health Place. 2018 11; 54:178-190. PMID: 30312942.

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Mazur A, Brindis CD, Decker MJ. Assessing youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services: a systematic review. BMC Health Serv Res. 2018 03 27; 18(1):216. PMID: 29587727.

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Yarger J, Decker MJ, Campa MI, Brindis CD. Rural-Urban Differences in Awareness and Use of Family Planning Services Among Adolescent Women in California. J Adolesc Health. 2017 Apr; 60(4):395-401. PMID: 27998703.

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Diana Lara, Martha J. Decker & Claire D. Brindis .. Exploring how residential mobility and migration influences teenage pregnancy in five rural communities in California: youth and adult perceptions. Culture, Health & Sexuality. 2016.
Lara D, Decker MJ, Brindis CD. Exploring how residential mobility and migration influences teenage pregnancy in five rural communities in California: youth and adult perceptions. Cult Health Sex. 2016 09; 18(9):980-95. PMID: 27439657.

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Decker M, Berglas NF, and Brindis CD.A Call to Action: Developing and Strengthening New Strategies to Promote Adolescent Sexual Health. Societies. 2015; 4(5):686-712.
Decker M, Constantine NA. Factors associated with contraceptive use in Angola. Afr J Reprod Health. 2011 Dec; 15(4):68-77. PMID: 22571108.

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Decker M, Hemmerling A, Lankoande F. Women front and center: the opportunities of involving women in participatory health research worldwide. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2010 Nov; 19(11):2109-14. PMID: 20858061.

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Decker M, Montagu D. Reaching youth through franchise clinics: assessment of Kenyan private sector involvement in youth services. J Adolesc Health. 2007 Mar; 40(3):280-2. PMID: 17321432.

View in: PubMed