Dr. Dana Sarnak studies the intersection of sexual and reproductive health and demography, particularly their intersection around fertility. Specifically, she studies how fertility preferences and contraception intentions influence contraceptive use dynamics in countries experiencing fertility transitions. Her research portfolio includes work on: fertility preferences and contraceptive use dynamics in sub-Saharan Africa, covert use of contraception in sub-Saharan Africa, and couples and reproductive health. In addition, she has experience in population-level survey research design and implementation.

Dr. Sarnak has a PhD from the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a focus in population and health and a Masters of Public Health from New York University.