An estimated 830 women die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related complications around the world every day. And for every woman who dies, it’s estimated 20 more experience acute or chronic morbidity. Ninety-nine percent of maternal deaths and morbidities occur in developing countries.
The Wilson Center’s Maternal Health Initiative is committed to improving maternal health outcomes by increasing knowledge, understanding, and communication of creative interventions that can be integrated into policies and programs worldwide.
Follow MHI via “Dot-Mom” and on Twitter
PHOTO CREDIT: USAID IN AFRICA.
-
Interdisciplinary Solutions Will Improve Alaska Native Maternal Health (Part 2 of 2)
›Dot-Mom // Navigating the Poles // November 18, 2020 // By Deekshita Ramanarayanan, Michaela Stith, Marisol Maddox & Bethany Johnson
The United States is in the midst of a maternal health crisis. Indigenous and Alaska Native peoples are 2.3 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than their white counterparts. In Alaska, unequal socio-economic status, lack of access to hospitals and quality health services, systemic racism, and a history of colonization drive these disparities in maternal health outcomes. “Weathering”—the deterioration of communal health outcomes caused by persistent socio-economic disadvantages—contributes to many poor maternal health outcomes for Alaska Native women. On top of these systemic problems, climate change impacts threaten to widen the existing disparities for Alaskan Native women.
-
A Dangerous Dichotomy: Women’s Paid and Unpaid Work During COVID-19
›
“While the global crisis has increased demand for research, such opportunities have created inequalities and distortion in the scientific community,” write the authors of a recent Social Science Research Network (SSRN) study that examines the gendered impact of COVID-19 in academia. The study finds that COVID-19 has disproportionately penalized the scientific productivity of female academics.
-
The Importance of Community Trust to Combat COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy
›
“Vaccine hesitancy is to be expected in a normal circumstance—it’s very different from being what we call ‘anti-vaccine,’” says Dr. Rahul Gupta, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical and Health Officer at March of Dimes, in this week’s Friday Podcast. He spoke at a recent Wilson Center event on ongoing efforts to develop and deliver a COVID-19 vaccine, co-sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh, March of Dimes, and the Jonas Salk Legacy Foundation. -
Women Transforming Peace: Evaluating Progress 20 Years After Resolution 1325
›
“Despite national action plans and legislation in 84 countries, women remain undervalued in peacebuilding, and we know today [women are] seriously underrepresented in peace processes,” said Kathleen Kuehnast, Director of Gender Policy and Strategy at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), at a recent event with USIP and the U.S. Civil Society Working Group on Women, Peace and Security (U.S. CSWG).
-
Building Bridges: What It Will Take to Develop a Safe, Effective COVID-19 Vaccine
›
“I think we have to remember not to forget what these diseases did in the past and to actively collaborate, to work with each other, and to communicate well that vaccines work,” said Dr. Paul Duprex, Director of Pitt’s Center for Vaccine Research and Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at a recent Wilson Center event on the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, co-sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), March of Dimes, and the Jonas Salk Legacy Foundation.
-
The Resurgence of Indigenous Midwifery in Canada, New Zealand, and Mexico
›
Globally, Indigenous women experience worse maternal health outcomes than non-Indigenous women. In the United States, the risk of maternal death is twice as high for Native women than for white women, while in Australia the risk is four and a half times higher. This week’s Friday Podcast highlights remarks from a recent Wilson Center event with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Confederation of Midwives about Indigenous midwifery. -
The Impacts of Climate Change on Alaska Native Maternal Health (Part 1 of 2)
›Dot-Mom // Navigating the Poles // October 14, 2020 // By Deekshita Ramanarayanan, Marisol Maddox, Bethany Johnson & Michaela Stith
Each year, 700 women in the United States die as a result of pregnancy-related complications. In fact, the United States has the highest maternal mortality ratio of all high-income countries—16.7 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. For Indigenous/Alaskan Native women, that number is even higher: Indigenous/Alaska Natives are 2.3 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than their white counterparts. While recent years have seen growing national attention to the U.S. maternal mortality crisis, research and advocacy for Indigenous peoples’ maternal health in the United States has been limited. This research gap includes the Alaskan Native peoples—Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and multiple Diné tribes.
-
The State of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: A Conversation with Dr. Zara Ahmed
›
“Unintended pregnancy and abortion are reproductive health experiences shared by tens of millions of people around the world, irrespective of personal status or circumstance. What differs though are the obstacles,” said Dr. Zara Ahmed, Associate Director of Federal Issues at the Guttmacher Institute in this week’s Friday Podcast. Research from the Guttmacher Institute on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) found that in 2018, there were 121 million unintended pregnancies globally, and of those, 61 percent ended in abortion. About half of these abortions were in unsafe conditions and led to approximately 23,000 preventable pregnancy related deaths, said Ahmed.
