At the University of Chicago’s Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry & Innovation in Sexual and Reproductive Health (Ci3), we use creative research methods to address the social and structural determinants of adolescent sexual and reproductive health locally, nationally, and globally. At Ci3 we envision a world in which all youth emerge into adulthood with agency over their bodies and futures.
In 2019, Ci3 conducted research on hidden costs of prenatal care, gender equity for young girls in India, family planning in religious health care settings, and the spatial distribution of LGBTQ services.
Access Ci3’s full research portfolio here.
Ci3’s policy brief entitled Educating Young People to Shift Culture on Sexual Violence was developed to provide evidenced-based recommendations on the importance of education for sexual assault. This brief supports new state legislation HB 3550 that was signed into law and became effective January 1, 2020. This new law requires a clear and comprehensive definition of consent to be added to the state’s sexuality education curriculum.
Ci3 contributed testimony in support of the Illinois Reproductive Health Act, which Governor Pritzker signed into law on June 12, 2019. This legislation establishes the fundamental right to abortion and has been called one of most comprehensive reproductive health laws in the country. Read the full testimony from our Ci3 Policy Director here.
Gender inequality continues to have severe consequences for the health and wellbeing of women and girls in the developing world. To shed light on these issues, Ci3 published “Understanding and Increasing Gender Equity through Storytelling: Kissa Kahani” in September 2019. This report outlines findings from Ci3’s recent Kissa Kahani project. Launched in 2016, Kissa Kahani uses storytelling across multiple media and formats to educate adolescents in Uttar Pradesh, India about street harassment, menstrual hygiene, and family planning as three interconnected factors that limit girls’ access to education.
In 2020, Ci3 will test the full intervention. The school-based intervention includes animated short stories, graphic novels, games and a curriculum. The program is designed for 12-14 year old students.
Hello Greenlight Launch
In March, Ci3 launched Hello Greenlight, a new reproductive healthcare service delivery platform designed with and for adolescents. Hello Greenlight aims to improve the adolescent sexual and reproductive healthcare experience. Ci3 is designing new tools and resources for the clinical setting, such as:
- The Tangible Contraceptive Counseling Tool, an all-in-one tool featuring physical replicas of the contraceptive pill, patch, ring, shot, IUD, implant, female condom, and male condom. Healthcare providers can use this tool to help adolescents better understand their contraceptive options, visualize each method, and learn how each method operates. A clinical research study for the Tangible Contraceptive Counseling Tool launched in November of 2019. Read more about how this tool was co-designed with young people and providers here.
- Cards on the Table, a card-based intervention that facilitates non-judgmental conversations between young people and providers. Adolescents often find it awkward to talk with healthcare providers about their sexual and reproductive health. While in the waiting room, adolescents can explore the card deck and select up to three cards that represent questions that they would like answered during their visit. Embracing a wide range of topics - from Pregnancy Prevention to Youth Confidentiality - Ci3 designed the Cards on the Table to help bridge the communication gap between adolescents and the providers who care for them.
Youth Advisory Council Launch
To connect our research to the daily experiences of adolescents, Ci3 launched the Youth Advisory Council on this past October. The Youth Advisory Council is a working group of high school students from Chicago’s South and West Sides. The Youth Advisory Council provides ongoing input on our projects and services, learns about adolescent sexual and reproductive healthcare, and participates in mentorship and professional development opportunities.
Adolescent X
Through narrative-based research, Adolescent X provides an opportunity for young people to share stories about their experiences with issues such as body image, gender identity, and sexual health. Next year, the stories from Adolescent X will be paired with the perspectives of scholars, artists, and community leaders to create the Adolescent X podcast which is being co-produced with two youth fellows. This research project and its associated podcast center the voices of youth.
South Side Speculations Exhibit
In January 2019, Ci3 partnered with adolescents from the South and West Sides of Chicago to create and host South Side Speculations.The exhibition showcased adolescent-created work that explored how structural racism, police brutality, and gun violence have affected the health and wellbeing of communities on Chicago’s south side.
Hexacago Health Academy
In July 2019, Ci3’s Hexacago Health Academy hosted 45 high school students from the South and West Sides of Chicago. During the preceding four summers, high school students and game designers created games about sexually transmitted infections, contraception, teenage parenthood, vaccines, and the criminal justice system. During the week-long academy, adolescents played these games as part of the summer educational program. Read more about the Hexacago Health Academy and its support from the National Institute of Health’s Science Education Partnership Award.
Games in Hong Kong
In May 2019, Ci3 staff traveled to UChicago’s Center in Hong Kong to conduct workshops with colleagues from local universities on games for social impact. The centerpiece of this week-long visit was a day of Ci3-led, game-focused workshops and lectures on game design, use of games in the classroom, and working in the commercial game sector. Read more about our trip to Hong Kong here.
Ci3’s LGBTQ research program continues to address the systemic and structural barriers that affect communities most vulnerable to infection--young Black and Latino men who have sex with men and young transgender women of color.
- In December, data collection for Work2Prevent was completed. Work2Prevent is a tailored employment intervention that aims to reduce HIV risk behaviors such as drug use and sex work by providing participants with technology and employment skills.
In 2019, Ci3 received recognition for our research and leadership in advancing adolescent sexual and reproductive health.
- Ci3 was recognized with the Excellence in Adolescent Health Award from the Adolescent Health Initiative. Ci3 was chosen as the 2019 recipient for our pioneering research and innovative use of design, games, and narrative to advance adolescent sexual and reproductive health.
- The Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health named Ci3 Senior Researcher Suchi Bansal, MPH as one of this year’s 120 Under 40: The New Generation of Family Planning Leaders. Suchi was recognized for her contributions to Ci3’s Kissa Kahani project and overall achievements in the field of family planning and reproductive health.
- The Society of Family Planning Research Fund named Ci3 Executive Director Crystal P. Tyler, PhD, MPH among its inaugural cohort of Changemakers in Family Planning grantees. The award provides dedicated support for national scholars of color to develop their research skills and leadership in family planning. Crystal’s research will focus on adolescent family planning decision-making using a reproductive justice framework.
- Hello Greenlight received a Core77 Awards Notable designation in the Strategy & Research category. This international contest honors designers in 14 categories. Ci3’s Hello Greenlight submission was chosen out of hundreds of finalists for outstanding execution, insight, creativity, and intent in design. Hello Greenlight connects providers and adolescents in Illinois to sexual health care centered around them.
Within the last year, the Ci3 communications team worked closely with journalists and media outlets to position Ci3’s research methods, findings, and experts within the public discourse. To shed light on issues pertinent to the health and wellbeing of marginalized populations, Ci3 experts were featured in several local, national, and international publications.
- Our LGBTQ Health Lead Researcher, Darnell Motley, PhD penned an op-ed in Scientific American on eliminating HIV in Black communities.
In this WTTW-Chicago Tonight article, Ci3 research illustrated geographic disparities in where Chicago LGBTQ service providers are concentrated. Wealthy, white LGBTQ residents have service providers in their communities while Black and Latinx residents have to travel three or more miles to access LGBTQ service providers.
- Hindustan Times, featured Ci3 Senior Researcher, Suchi Bansal, MPH for being named one of this year’s 120 Under 40, an international award that celebrates young champions of family planning.
Ci3 boasts a bold vision of a world in which all youth emerge into adulthood with agency over their bodies and futures. As we enter a new decade, we look forward to continued collaboration with community partners, donors, funders, and, most importantly, adolescents.
With your support, we will continue to design innovative interventions and conduct cutting edge research that improves the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents in Chicago and beyond.