CURRENT PROJECTS

Community-Led Maternal and Infant Health Research Needs Assessment

This pilot research is designed to be a baseline investigation of the greatest MIH issues in Alabama using a community-led framework. Maternal and infant health (MIH) issues and concerns across Alabama will be identified by conducting a statewide qualitative health research needs assessment with MIH providers, professionals, and mothers – a group of individuals identified broadly as the maternity care community (MCC). This research will occur in collaboration with the Regional Perinatal Center in each of Alabama’s five public health regions. With the use of one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and rapport-building, members of the MCC will identify the top five MIH priorities in Alabama and guide the development of collaborative research partnerships and a MIH research agenda. Preliminary findings will be returned to community partners and study participants to confirm or adjust results to best reflect the needs of the populations included in this assessment.

Role: Primary Investigator
Current status: Final stages of data collection
Preliminary data sharing event date with participants: August 26th, 2021
Funder: College Academy of Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Seed Funds

Measuring the Impact of Community Doula Care in Central Alabama

The purpose of this project is to co-develop and pilot a prospective data collection tool for doulas affiliated with the Birmingham-based non-profit Birthwell Partners Community Doula Project. Based on previous community-academic collaborations, Birthwell staff and Dr. Lydia Thurston (Samford University, Birmingham) invited Dr. Holly Horan (UA) to co-create a data collection system that includes critical baseline data and outcome variables to more reliably assess the impact of doula care on maternal and infant health (MIH) in central Alabama.

Role: Primary Investigator
Current status: Midway through data collection.
Funder: Council for Community-Based Partnership Seed-Funds

Surveys on Health, Needs, Barriers and Interests in Supportive Care Programs

This preliminary project was designed to inform the emerging UA collaborative, Partners for Alabama Families and Communities, on the needs and interests of patients who are receiving care at a University Medical Center OBGYN clinic during a specific period of the life span. These periods include:

1) Preconception:
Describe: a) reproductive and general health, b) pregnancy history, c) substance use and d) barriers/problems and concerns; and, e) needs to improve preconception care.
2) Pregnancy:
Describe: a) family composition, b) previous pregnancy history; c) access to current pregnancy care, resources and services needed to raise a family; d) life barriers/concerns during pregnancy. Assess interest in novel supportive care programs for mothers and children; and, e) needs to improve pregnancy care.
3) Postpartum:
Describe: a) medical and mental health of mothers, including substance use; b) barriers to maternal postpartum care; c) access to social services, food, housing, childcare, etc.. d) interest in specific services (e.g., family planning, breastfeeding, etc.,).; and, e) needs to improve care.Role: Co-Investigator
Current status: Midway through data collection.
Funder: Not funded.

Scaling Up Doula Care in Alabama

My community partner, Dalia Abrams, co-founder of Birthwell Community Doula Program and I are currently in the 2021-2022 cohort for the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center’s Community-Based Participatory Research Academy (https://www.detroiturc.org/).

Birth doula support is associated with improved perinatal outcomes and reduce health care costs. However, many states, including Alabama, are home to state-level health care systems that do not recognize and, in some cases ban birth doulas from providing support to expecting patients. We want to know what needs to happen to increase uptake of birth doula support in the state of Alabama – particularly for pregnant people who have not historically had access to birth doula support. To increase uptake, we to begin by examining and understanding the barriers and facilitators of utilizing birth doula support from stakeholders across the maternity care system. We see this as a first step to co-creating a community-based approach to increasing the use of doulas and improving perinatal outcomes in Alabama – home to some of the worst maternal and infant health outcomes in the nation. Role: Co- Primary Investigator
Current status: Planning Stages
Funder: Non-competitive grant through the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center’s Community-Based Participatory Research Academy

Establishing and Supporting Community Doula Care in West Alabama

I am currently enrolled in the 2021-2022 Emerging Community Engaged Scholars Program that is offered through UA’s Division for Community Affairs.

For this program, I will be developing a proposal to establish and support a community doula program in West, Alabama. This program is currently being planned with local doulas and other allied health professionals who serve expecting families in this region. We plan to expand doula services to all pregnant people who want access to this type of supportive care.