Maternal and child health go hand in hand, and the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University is actively invested in improving health outcomes for both.
Among wealthy nations, the United States lags in regards to maternal mortality rates (22 deaths per 100,000 live births), and in the state of Louisiana the numbers are even worse (39 deaths per 100,000 births). For Black mothers, that number surges to 50 deaths per 100,000 births.
Healthy pregnancy, positive birth outcomes, and safety and security post-pregnancy is important for families and communities alike.
At Tulane, the Mary Amelia Center for Women's Health Equity Research (MAC) aims to identify and address indicators for poor pregnancy outcomes. The center takes an innovative, multi-level approach in their interdisciplinary research that identifies and disrupts barriers to knowledge, opportunity, and health for women -- further translating their research into action through training and advocacy.
The Tulane Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health (CEMCH) also takes an action-oriented approach, providing professional development opportunities for future and current maternal and child health practitioners.
Lastly, a holistic approach to mother and child health requires addressing violence in the home, as that is one of the biggest correlations to poor health outcomes for both. The Violence Prevention Institute takes the same approach -- identifying problems and attempting to take actions to help solve them -- by supporting communities in addressing systemic, structural, and interpersonal violence.
