Maternal and Child Health Research
Togetherness: Shared activities within Black families
December 19, 2024 Music, meals and traditions bring Black families closer and foster joy, according to research co-led by Dr. Iheoma Iruka in the Department of Maternal and Child Health and the Equity Research Action Coalition.
Gillings School and UNC Chapel Hill Researchers receive new grant
September 27, 2024 Drs. Cathi Propper, Iheoma U. Iruka and other Carolina Researchers received a $2.65 million NIH R01 grant to study the impact of parasympathetic function on school readiness and early success in low-income children.
How much does diversity factor into Black family childcare?
September 5, 2024 Two in three Black parents take cultural or racial representation into account when choosing their child’s school or childcare facility, according to research led by maternal and child health professor Dr. Iheoma U. Iruka.
Most Black parents discuss racial challenges with children
August 26, 2024 A new survey of Black parents with young children in the U.S., led by Dr. Iheoma U. Iruka, finds that most parents say they talk with their children about the challenges they may face because of their race either often or sometimes.
Gillings School receives $5M from USDA to address maternal health warning signs among WIC participants
June 18, 2024 The funding will support Gillings School researchers and partners in enacting evidence-based strategies that can recognize and treat urgent maternal health warning signs among participants in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) supplemental food program.
Researchers demonstrate how vital conditions enable perinatal well-being
April 3, 2023 Perinatal mental illness is a leading cause of death during pregnancy and the first postpartum year in the U.S. Dr. Alison Stuebe from the UNC School of Medicine and Gillings School of Global Public Health authored a study with colleagues on how a holistic approach comprising seven domains can foster conditions for women and birthing people to thrive.
New research highlights inequities in treatment of postpartum depressive symptoms
April 1, 2024 Researchers at the Gillings School and Columbia University have uncovered significant underdiagnosis and undertreatment of postpartum depressive symptoms, as well as stark racial and ethnic inequities in treatment for those with postpartum depressive symptoms.
Study links gender nonconformity and sexual orientation with lower socioeconomic status
February 6, 2024 Socioeconomic status — frequently measured as a combination of education, income and occupation — has a huge impact on health outcomes.
Can expanding SNAP policies help reduce substance misuse in the US?
January 25, 2024 A recent study from Gillings School researchers shows that state adoption of policies to expand SNAP eligibility could potentially help reduce substance use disorders and overall substance misuse in the U.S.
Researchers uncover hidden toll mothers face in NICU
December 6, 2023 The study — recognized as one of the top-cited articles of 2021-2022 — unveils the often-overlooked challenges faced by mothers with hospitalized infants in a NICU.
