March of Dimes Research Center for Advancing Maternal Health Equity

The March of Dimes' latest Report Card describes the factors that contribute to elevated maternal and infant mortality and morbidity. 

The goal of the March of Dimes Research Center for Advancing Maternal Health Equity at the University of Pennsylvania is to develop and implement data-driven actionable solutions to advance maternal health equity. This overarching goal includes:

• Creating and disseminating basic, translational, clinical, and policy research on maternal equitable outcomes

• Leveraging technology to increase access to care and promote early intervention

• Building novel partnerships with community members, health systems, providers, and payers

• Utilizing interdisciplinary team science, partnerships, and multi-institutional and interdisciplinary collaborations

• Informing policy to improve inequities across Philadelphia and beyond

Learn more about the March of Dimes Research Center for Advancing Maternal Health Equity at Penn

Research

PeliCaN: Post-partum Care in the NICU (PeliCaN) is a pilot study led by Heather Burris, MD, MPH, to explore feasibility of a novel model of doula-coordinated, midwife-delivered postpartum care in the neonatal intensive care unit.

VIBE study: This research explores the postpartum experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and how stress affects postpartum health, with a focus on blood pressure trajectories. The study population was women of color at four hospitals in New York and Philadelphia.

Doula Care Delivery: This project is developing and evaluating a way to make doulas an integral member of the care team for birthing individuals. Penn is partnering with Alexia Doumbouya, director and founder of CocoLife Black Foundation, and will begin stakeholder interviews of patients, physicians, nurses, and community doulas. Find out more about this project.

About March of Dimes

March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies. They support research, lead programs and provide education and advocacy so that every family can have the best possible start. To learn more about March of Dimes, please visit marchofdimes.org.

If you have any questions, additional information can be obtained by contacting: 

Angelina Malenda
Research Project Manager, OBGYN
Perelman School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
Angelina.Malenda@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Team members

Elizabeth A. Howell, MD, MPP  
Center PI
Harrison McCrea Dickson, MD President's Distinguished Professor
Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Senior Fellow, Leonard Davis Institute

Sindhu Srinivas, MD, MSCE  
Doula Project PI
Doula Model of Care Project PI
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Heather Burris, MD, MPH 
PeliCaN-GDM Project PI
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Celeste Durnwald, MD  
PeliCaN-GDM Project PI
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Alexia Doumbouya, MSL, Certified Postpartum Doula, CMHA  
Doula Model of Care Project PI
Founder and Director CocoLife Black Foundation

Angelina Malenda  
Center Project Manager
Research Project Manager, Perelman School of Medicine

Center Scientific Advisory Board

Elizabeth A. Howell, MD, MPP
Harrison McCrea Dickson, MD President's Distinguished Professor
Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Senior Fellow, Leonard Davis Institute

Emre Seli, MD
Chief Scientific Officer
March of Dimes

Natalie Hernandez, PhD, MPH
Executive Director, Center of Maternal Health Equity
Morehouse School of Medicine

Danielle Laraque-Arena, MD, FAAP
Senior Research Scientist, New York Academy of Medicine
Professor of Clinical Epidemiology and Pediatrics
Mailman School of Public Health & Vagelos College of Physicians
and Surgeons Columbia University
Past President, SUNY Upstate Medical University

Alan Thevenet N. Tita, MD, PhD
Senior Vice-Chair for Research & Innovation, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Director, University Wide-Center for Women's Reproductive Health
University of Alabama Birmingham