NICHD Health Equity Seminar Series: Maternal Mortality in Women of Color

September 5, 2013, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Sponsor/Co-Sponsor(s)

Office of Health Equity (OHE), Office of the Director (OD), and Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch (PPB), Division of Extramural Research (DER), NICHD

Location

Balcony A, Natcher Conference Center (Building 45), Bethesda, Maryland

Purpose

A disparity exists between the black-white gap in maternal mortality– and that gap continues to rise. Nationally, blacks have a four times greater risk of pregnancy-related complications than do whites—a rate of 36.1 per 100,000 live births compared with 9.6 for whites and 8.5 for Hispanics, according to a 2008 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The problem is particularly acute in New York City where blacks are nearly eight times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than are whites, and in California where blacks are four times as likely to die from childbirth as whites. The increasing numbers of cesarean sections nationally also contribute to this trend.

The objective of this Health Equity Seminar is to review the current status of pregnancy related maternal mortality in women of color, to examine the current status of research, and to explore possible directions for future research (biomedical and biobehavioral).

Speakers for this seminar include:

  • Jo Ivey Boufford, M.D. (PDF - 1 MB) 
    President, New York Academy of Medicine
    Professor of Public Service, Health Policy and Management, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
    Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine
  • Kimberly D. Gregory, M.D., M.P.H. (PDF - 691 KB)
    Vice Chair, Women’s Healthcare Quality & Performance Improvement, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
  • Maria Small, M.D., M.P.H. (PDF -  1.5 MB)
    Assistant Professor, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina

For more information

Contact

Dr. Jean Flagg-Newton, OHE, OD, NICHD
Tel: (301) 435-2722
Email: flaggnej@mail.nih.gov  

Please note: Views expressed during NICHD-sponsored events do not necessarily reflect the opinions or the official positions of NICHD, NIH, or HHS.
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