Reducing Racial Disparities in SMM post COVID19: Assessing the integration of maternal safety bundles and community-based doulas to improve outcomes for Black women
PI & Project Leader: Dr. Amutah-Onukagha, PhD, MPH
Project period: 5 years
Funding Source: National Institutes of Health Minority Health Disparities
Objective: Our study will lead to a more systematic understanding of pregnancy outcomes for Black women establishing a foundation for development and testing of future interventions to improve maternal outcomes.
Project Summary: Black women experience stark disparities in pregnancy care, complications, and outcomes, compared to White women. Recognizing, tracking and understanding patterns of severe maternal mortality (SMM) and associated inequities by race/ethnicity, along with developing and carrying out interventions to improve the quality of maternal care, are essential to reducing SMM and thereby maternal mortality….
Promoting Maternal Health Equity through Collaborative Community Partnerships: Teaming doulas, providers and families to create birth equity
PI & Project Leader: Dr. Amutah-Onukagha, PhD, MPH
Project period: 3 years
Funding Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Project Summary: In 2020, the CDC reported a national maternal mortality rate of 17.4 per 100,000 live births; Black women have rates three times higher than other racial groups. Many of the leading causes for maternal deaths (and morbidity) are preventable. The maternal morbidity and mortality rates and associated disparities, as experienced disproportionately by Black women, is a human rights crisis in America. Our primary research question is: How has the growing awareness of the maternal crisis influenced women of color’s perceptions of their risk, maternity care choices, and patient empowerment? We seek…
Stopping the Spread of HIV/AIDS through Research and Engagement:
The Share Study
PI & Project Leader: Dr. Amutah-Onukagha, PhD, MPH
Project Summary: The proposed study focuses on communication between HIV+ mothers and their daughters on issues such as perceptions of HIV risk, HIV/AIDS knowledge, and their attitudes and beliefs; the impact of intergenerational trauma and an adolescents’ HIV risk; and the knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes regarding use of PrEP in adolescents to reduce HIV incidence. HIV/AIDS is experienced disproportionately among African American women. Women of color worldwide are affected by HIV/AIDS at rates far higher than any other race. In the last decade, the incidence of HIV/AIDS in these communities saw little decline and in 2016, African American women accounted for 4,560 (61%) of the estimated new HIV infections among all women (CDC, 2018). This is an alarming statistic as African American women over the ages of 18 make up only 13% of the female population, yet account for the majority of new HIV/AIDS cases. This statistic demonstrates the need to develop programs focusing on African women and their daughters.