Drs. Jarlenski and Mendez's mixed methods research evaluating Pennsylvania Medicaid's equity payment program and equity focused obstetric bundle show how Medicaid policy interventions can promote racial equity in pregnancy and child health.
Dr. Catov's work around pregnant individuals at risk for high sedentary behavior and adverse pregnancy outcomes points to a sedentary behavior reduction intervention being feasible, acceptable, and may offer a viable alternative.
Drs. Chang, Krans, and Miller conducted 15 semistructured interviews with pregnant and postpartum women who have experienced opioid use disorder (OUD) and intimate partner violence (IPV). Their team found that
➡️ Partners impacted their ability to seek OUD care
➡️ Seeking help for OUD and IPV was siloed and they wished for integrated services
➡️ They were more comfortable disclosing OUD than IPV
➡️ They perceived pregnancy as a barrier and facilitator to OUD care
Dr. Janey Catov and her team compared pregnancy and postpartum blood pressure (BP) trajectories among individuals with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy who developed persistent hypertension at 1-year postpartum compared with individuals with normalization of BP.
Read the rest of their paper here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38073563/
Black pregnant women encounter structural racism and intersectional bias from healthcare providers. By centering their perspectives and experiences of racial discrimination in healthcare settings, public health and medical professionals can utilize anti-racist frameworks to create more equitable, just practices in reproductive healthcare.
Read more about Drs. Ashley Hill and Natacha De Genna's findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38106375/
Dr. Janet Catov's team reviewed the relationship between blood pressure and maternal health in pregnancy. They concluded that there is a pressing need for studies with a range of detailed measures of cardiac and vascular structure and function taken before, during, and after pregnancy. This will help inform effective precision medicine prevention and treatment of both placental syndromes and chronic hypertension in women.
Read more about Dr. Catov's findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36702879/
We are highlighting the work of Dr. Janet Catov around characteristics of premature myocardial infarction among women with prior adverse pregnancy outcomes. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37694271/
Drs. Ashley Hill, Natacha De Genna, and their team found that young Black women who desired pregnancy and birthing support during Covid-19 encountered structural racism and intersectional bias from healthcare providers.
Read more about their research findings here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667321523001178?via%3Dihub
Dr. Janet Catov and her team examined the association between prepregnancy obesity (risk factor for inflammation) and histologic placental inflammation (correlated with impaired infant neurodevelopment) and how selection bias may influence the association.
Their findings point to obesity contributing to placental inflammation: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37302673/
Drs. Mendez, Jarlenski, Chang, and their team measured racial inequities in drug testing among pregnant people and found that clinicians were more likely to order urine drug testing for Black patients compared with their White counterparts.
Read more of their findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37769307/
