Alison Gemmill, PhD

Alison Gemmill is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and a nationally recognized expert in perinatal epidemiology and fertility. Her research uses large-scale data and natural experiments to examine how structural and political determinants—such as policies, economic shocks, and social stressors—shape maternal, infant, and reproductive health outcomes. She currently co-leads an NIH-funded study on the reproductive and maternal health consequences of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision. Dr. Gemmill also studies maternal mortality, fertility trends, contraceptive use, and reproductive goals, serves as a technical advisor to the World Health Organization, and co-leads the U.S.-based Human Fertility Database. Before joining the faculty at UCLA in 2025, she was an Associate Professor in the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health at Johns Hopkins University, where she also served as Associate Director of the Hopkins Population Center.