Maternal Health Disparity Research Center at Tennessee State University

While it has been documented that the public health workforce in the United States is shrinking 'by more than 15 percent' over the past decade it has created an even larger decrease in the representation of diversity in the maternal health research workforce. This trend exacerbated by the COVID -19 pandemic has led to increased maternal mortality and morbidity. HBCUs are leading the nation in training these underrepresented populations to build a diverse workforce in the health professions including each of the health-related disciplines that are an integral component of public health. Maternal mortality in the African American community is at a record high far exceeding their White counterparts. Public health agencies seek solutions that include a diverse and equitable workforce to contribute to the identification and community-based implementations that directly address the problems that create the situation on a national level.

Goals and objectives:

The goal of this project is to create a research center at Tennessee State University that focuses on planning and implementing applied maternal health disparities research. The application of successful solutions begin with building research capacity in culturally competent training institutions that include the capacity of HBCUs on a national level. TSU is poised to participate in contributing to training a public health workforce that is diverse and inclusive to address the need. In addition the center will be involved in 1) demonstrating increased maternal health disparity research capacity 2) increased quality publications of significant maternal health research by an inclusive research base and 3) the dissemination and translation of research findings into practice that contribute to improving maternal health outcomes for African American women. Methods: The TSU RC will utilize Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR) in maternal health disparities research. The CBPR model is essential for reducing maternal mortality and morbidity rates among African American women by prioritizing community involvement addressing health disparities promoting cultural sensitivity building capacity upholding ethical practices and driving policy and practice changes. By centering the focus on the experiences and needs of African American communities CBPR can help achieve more equitable and effective interventions to improve maternal health outcomes.

Products:

The TSU RC plans to focus on the initial use of a secondary data research strategy for determining the relationship between obesity and poor maternal health outcomes for African American women of childbearing age.

Evaluation:

The TSU RC is poised to establish a robust monitoring and evaluation framework through this funding mechanism to assess the implementation process and measure the impact of interventions. The community will contribute to the center by setting clear objectives developing indicators and collecting data to track the progress and outcomes of implementation efforts. The establishment of the community planning group allows the regular review and analysis of data to identify successes challenges and areas for improvement.