Jagpreet Singh

Pharmacist-prescribed hormonal contraception empowers patients to take control of their reproductive health right where they already trust care — their local pharmacy. By understanding what barriers patients face, we can better tailor education, awareness, and accessibility. It’s about transforming convenience into confidence.

Maryland has enabled pharmacist-prescribed hormonal contraception, yet patient uptake varies widely across communities. We saw an urgent need to understand what patients actually perceive as barriers such as awareness, cost, privacy, convenience, or cultural concerns, so that outreach and workflows target what matters most. By comparing rural, suburban, and urban settings, we can tailor interventions that make access truly equitable statewide.

I’m excited that this grant supports patient-centered data collection at the community pharmacy counter where access either happens or it doesn’t. The findings will directly inform staff training, in-store messaging, and community partnerships, allowing us to improve access quickly and measurably.