UW ACTIONS founder names new leadership for Pacific Northwest region’s first reproductive justice nursing scholarship incubator

SEATTLE, WA – Last year, University of Washington School of Nursing announced the launch of the
ACTIONS program, the Abortion Care Training Incubator for Outstanding Nurse Scholars (ACTIONS),
originally launched at University of California San Francisco in 2018. With the program now open to new
scholars, Dr. Monica McLemore, founder of ACTIONS and nationally recognized reproductive health
justice faculty and thought leader, announced the selection of the program’s new co-directors, Dr. Daniel
Suárez-Baquero and Dr. Ellen Solis.

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UW School of Nursing works to fill national gap in abortion care training | KOMO News

SEATTLE — In the months since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, it’s not just abortion access that’s disappearing across the country.

A recent analysis by the Association of American Medical Colleges found fewer doctors are training in states with abortion bans. But states like Washington, where abortion is legal and protected, are seeing a surge in providers looking for clinical experience.

Liz Carr was one of those looking for abortion care training. She was nine months from receiving her master’s degree in Kentucky.

“I said, ‘Wait a minute, we’ve never really talked about abortion care. We’ve never really discussed it. And that is care that I think is important,'” Carr said. “Clearly this education is not going to be provided to me. I have to seek it out. What does it look like for me to do that? How can I get this education?”

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Read the full article:
“UW School of Nursing works to fill national gap in abortion care training (komonews.com)” KOMO News, May 2, 2023

UW launches ACTIONS in response to Roe v. Wade overturn | The Seattle Spectator

SEATTLE, WA – A new medical program is being spearheaded by the University of Washington (UW) with a focus on abortions and other reproductive care including contraceptives and birth. Washington state is quickly becoming a safe haven for people who are seeking an abortion after the Supreme Court overturned its Roe v. Wade decision. The Guttmacher Institute projects that there will be a 385% increase in the number of people coming to Washington for abortion care. The faculty heading UW’s new program believe it is crucial that doctors know how to safely perform one.

Monica McLemore, a UW nursing professor and interim director at UW’s Center for Anti-Racism in Nursing, founded the original Abortion Care Training Incubator of Outstanding Nurse Scholars [ACTIONS] research program at the University of California, San Francisco. In the fall of 2024, McLemore will bring ACTIONS to UW along with UW nursing professor and experienced nurse-midwife Molly Altman and Meghan Eagan-Torkko, associate professor and director of nursing at UW. They will be taking this year to fine-tune the program.

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Read the full article “UW Launches ACTIONS in Response to Roe v. Wade Overturn – The Spectator (seattlespectator.com)” The Seattle Spectator, March 1, 2023

UW ACTIONS’ commitment to a versatile reproductive workforce | UW Daily

The importance of this UW faculty-established program and its plans to expand reproductive care and justice across the country

In the eight months that Roe v. Wade has no longer been a federal protector of reproductive rights, it’s even harder to imagine living in a country where there are no obstacles to access necessary reproductive services.

Abortion, much like other reproductive processes, is still incredibly taboo.

Generally, people avoid talking about reproductive care, and this has been magnified by the recent re-politicization of abortion. Educating people not only about the inner workings of abortion, but also about its overlooked history and intersectionality with race and gender, is essential to destigmatizing this practice and providing compassionate care.

In 2018, Monica McLemore, a professor in UW’s School of Nursing, launched the Abortion Care Training Incubator for Outstanding Nurse Scholars(ACTIONS) program at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). It aims to mentor pre- and post-doctoral students in nursing on the principles of reproductive justice to, as McLemore said, “provide abortion care by a workforce that is well-trained.”

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Read full article: “UW ACTIONS’ commitment to a versatile reproductive workforce” The UW Daily. https://www.dailyuw.com/opinion/uw-actions-commitment-to-a-versatile-reproductive-workforce/article_0b45caa2-be4e-11ed-90e0-4b69e04696ea.html