Vivian Pinn Symposium Panel 3: Social and Behavioral Sciences Research

May 11, 2026

“We as rheumatologists have to start screening routinely for reproductive goals at the time of diagnosis, annually, and always when we prescribe a teratogen as the minimum standard of care” – Mehret Birru Talabi, MD, PhD

Following the symposium’s earlier panels on translational and clinical research, Panel 3 focused on “Social and Behavioral Sciences Research” and the broader real-world challenges women face navigating chronic disease, healthcare systems, and long-term care disparities. 

The panel opened with Holly J. Jones, PhD, RN, MSN, APRN-CNP, FAHA, who discussed cardiovascular disease in women and the importance of recognizing sex-specific differences in cardiovascular risk, presentation, and outcomes. The presentation emphasized that women’s cardiovascular symptoms and risk factors are not always reflected in traditional clinical models, contributing to underrecognition and delayed care. 

Mehret Birru Talabi, MD, PhD, then presented on reproductive healthcare gaps in rheumatology. Women with rheumatic diseases often navigate complex decisions surrounding fertility, pregnancy, contraception, breastfeeding, medication safety, and disease management, frequently while receiving fragmented or inconsistent guidance. Dr. Talabi discussed how reproductive health conversations are often overlooked in chronic disease care despite the fact that many autoimmune diseases disproportionately affect women during their reproductive years.

The discussion also highlighted how uncertainty surrounding medication risks, pregnancy outcomes, and disease activity can create significant emotional and medical burdens for patients. Researchers emphasized the importance of coordinated care between rheumatologists, obstetric specialists, and patients themselves, as well as the need for healthcare systems that proactively address reproductive goals rather than treating them as secondary concerns.

The panel concluded with Kamila Alexander, PhD, RN, MSN/MPH, whose presentation focused on intimate partner violence, healthcare access, and safety strategies among Black women living with HIV. 

Across the session, speakers highlighted how women’s chronic disease experiences are influenced not only by biology, but also by healthcare access, communication gaps, social determinants of health, and systems that have historically overlooked sex-specific needs and lived experiences.