New center to address maternal and infant mortality
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In Virginia, Black women are 300 percent more likely to die during childbirth than white women. Black children are almost twice as likely as white children not to see their first birthday.
“These statistics are alarming and unacceptable,” says Dr. Alfred Abuhamad, Interim President, Provost and Dean of the School of Medicine. “There are many efforts to address this issue locally, and they are doing incredible work. Today, we are joining the fight with the launch of the newly created Center for Maternal and Child Health Equity and Advocacy.”
As a community-supported medical center, he says it was very clear that EVMS had a responsibility to address these issues.
The center aims to support community efforts with research, analysis and ultimately – policy change.
As the vision to create the Center for Maternal and Child Health Equity and Advocacy came together, finding the right person to lead the charge was of utmost importance. “It had to be someone who was passionate about health equity,” says Dr. Abuhamad. “Someone who cared about people on an individual level, but also on a population and policy level.”
He found that person in Dr. Lindsay Speros Robbins.
“The goal of the center is to eliminate health disparities among mothers and children,” says Lindsay Speros Robbins, MD, MPH, Director of the Center for Maternal and Child Health Equity and Advocacy, and Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “We will study outcomes at the regional and state level to better understand where and why disparities exist.”
Dr. Robbins says they will then combine that research with input from women and families in the community to improve policies and guidelines, to develop quality improvement projects, and to ultimately improve short-term and long-term outcomes for mothers and children.
“We look forward to working with partners and families in the community to achieve health equity.”