The Division of Family Planning in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at NYU Langone Health is committed to providing culturally competent and evidence-based reproductive healthcare to every individual, regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or citizenship. We believe that all people deserve the means to decide when, whether, and with whom they have families.

Our mission, under the leadership of Siripanth Nippita, MD, MS, division director, is to educate the next generation of highly skilled reproductive health practitioners, to conduct groundbreaking and relevant family planning research, and to advocate for patients’ access to family planning, contraception, and abortion services. We advance this mission through dedicated clinical services at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn and through the Reproductive Choice Clinic at the Women’s Medical Center at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue.

Our History of Family Planning

As the oldest public hospital in the United States, Bellevue has a rich history of pioneering care for underserved individuals in the New York City area, which includes establishing the country’s first maternity ward in 1799. Bellevue’s Contraception Clinic, opened by Gordon Douglas, MD, in 1958, was one of the first in the country. The Division of Family Planning was later established by Livia S. Wan, MD, largely because of her pioneering work in the field.

Today, as a result of Bellevue’s role as the referral hospital for NYC Health + Hospitals, the Reproductive Choice Clinic receives frequent referrals of the most medically complicated patients who require hospital-based care.

In 2023, Colleen Denny, MD led the establishment of a formal Family Planning clinical service at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn. This service was designed to improve access to Family Planning care for patient communities within Brooklyn as well as the wider New York City area, but also in response to increasing limitations on abortion access and Family Planning provider training in other areas of the country.

Our Patient Advocacy

Patient advocacy is an integral part of our work in the Division of Family Planning. We strongly believe that clinicians should take an active role in advocating for systems and policies that improve the reproductive health of our patients beyond the clinic and hospital settings.

To further their advocacy skills, our faculty have participated in professional development programs through the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Physicians for Reproductive Health Leadership Training Academy.

Our Role in Education

The Division of Family Planning is committed to educating healthcare practitioners at all levels of medical training. We provide both classroom-based and clinical instruction in abortion and contraceptive care provision.

Training at our clinical sites gives medical students and residents opportunities to care for patients with a wide range of complex medical conditions and psychosocial situations.

Training for Medical Students

NYU Grossman School of Medicine clerkship students can participate in the Reproductive Choice Service Elective at Bellevue, which includes seeing patients in the ambulatory setting and participating in procedures. Family planning faculty regularly teach didactic sessions for the medical student clerkship. Senior medical students have the opportunity to join the team for month-long clinical electives or research electives. Our division welcomes visiting medical students for the senior clinical elective.

Training for Residents

Our residency program has a dedicated rotation for training in abortion and contraception and was one of the first three Ryan Programs nationally, in 1999. Bellevue serves as the main clinical site for this training. Visiting residents are also able to participate in rotations in our division. Our faculty also provide education to residents in other specialties who provide reproductive healthcare, including internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, and psychiatry.

Training for Fellows

Our two-year Complex Family Planning Fellowship provides advanced training for individuals who have completed a residency program in obstetrics and gynecology to become subspecialists and expert consultants in abortion and contraceptive care. The fellow receives clinical training at multiple sites, develops and executes independent scholarly work, trains as an educational leader, and supports outreach and advocacy for our patient communities.

Our Role in Research

Our division’s commitment to research dates back to the 1970s. Since that time, we have conducted clinical trials on many contraceptive technologies that were later approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including the copper intrauterine device, a nonhormonal contraceptive gel, and several oral contraceptive pills.

Our Role in Patient Care

Clinicians at the Reproductive Choice Clinic at Bellevue and at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn offer safe, confidential, and comprehensive care for patients seeking treatment for early pregnancy loss or abortion, management of abnormal early pregnancies, and contraceptive services. These clinical offerings are integrated into Bellevue’s Women’s Health Clinic and in NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn’s outpatient and inpatient facilities. We also provide medical translation services in 130 languages, 24 hours a day for our non-English speaking patients, and partner with non-physician groups such as The Doula Project, The Brigid Alliance, and the Haven Coalition to provide integrative care and improve the overall experience of our patients.

Our Faculty

Our faculty members are experts in family planning.

Kate J. Baicy, MD, PhD
Natalie Fischer Davis, MD
Colleen Denny, MD
Christina Jung, MD
Robert D. Mora, MD
Siripanth Nippita, MD, MS
Johana D. Oviedo, MPH, MD
Jessica S. Rose, MD
Andrew L. Sackrison, MD
Beatrice L. Telzak, MD

Contact Us

For educational opportunities:

Angela Sarkysian
Administrative Coordinator
Angela.Sarkisyan@NYULangone.org

James Hamilton
Administrative Coordinator
James.Hamilton@NYULangone.org

For research opportunities:

Elaine Salamanca
Senior Research Coordinator
Elaine.Salamanca@NYULangone.org