Dr. Kost’s research at Guttmacher addresses a range of topics crucial for understanding reproductive behaviors and trends in the United States, including patterns of sexual behavior, characteristics of abortion patients, health consequences of unintended pregnancy and estimates of contraceptive failure. Dr. Kost leads the Institute’s domestic surveillance work on unintended and adolescent pregnancy, at both the national and state levels. She has published in top peer-reviewed journals in the field, including Demography, Studies in Family Planning and Guttmacher’s own Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.
Dr. Kost also plays a critical role in the Institute’s strategic planning process, in management-related activities in the Research division and across the Institute, and is an active mentor, dedicated to the well-being and professional development of all junior staff and the improvement of research processes. Dr. Kost received her BA in sociology from Reed College and a PhD in sociology from Princeton University, where she specialized in demography at the Office of Population Research.
