Dana M. Johnson, PhD

I research and write about abortion, contraception, adolescents, technology, and public policy.

I’ve written for The New York Times, Teen Vogue, Slate, The Hill, Ms. Magazine, and other outlets.

My work is published in peer reviewed journals including JAMA, American Journal of Public Health, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, Contraception, and other publications.

My research is used in Amicus Briefs challenging restrictive abortion policies, including the U.S. Supreme Court cases Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization and Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

I received my BA in Sociology and Social Justice from the University of Minnesota, then worked as a community organizer in the Upper Midwest. I later earned my Master's in Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, followed by my PhD in Public Policy and Demography, also from UT Austin. I completed my postdoctoral training as a Health Disparities Research Scholar at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. I am currently an Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the McCormack School of Policy and Global Studies.

In addition to research and writing, I co-chair the Board of Directors at Jane’s Due Process and sit on the steering committee for The Feminist Demography Collective.