U54HD113292

Center to Advance Reproductive Justice and Behavioral Health Among Black Pregnant/Postpartum Women and Birthing People (CORAL) - Abstract

Pregnant and postpartum women who are black live at the intersection of three of the gravest public health threats confronting the 21st century US: (1) the maternal morbidity and mortality epidemic; (2) the behavioral health crisis; and (3) intersectional discrimination.

In a nation with the highest maternal mortality rate of all high-income countries, black women are three times more likely to die while pregnant or postpartum than their white counterparts. Maternal behavioral health conditions – such as anxiety, perinatal and postpartum depression, and birth-related PTSD – are the most common complications of pregnancy and childbirth, affecting 1 in 5 women, and disproportionately afflict black women.

Overdoses, substance use disorders, and related harms are surging among black women. According to Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRCs), behavioral health conditions are one of the leading causes of maternal deaths and are the leading preventable cause of maternal deaths.

Despite their size and impact, the US is ill prepared to mobilize to address these crises because of longstanding legacies of intersectional discrimination whereby behavioral health problems are neglected within the field of maternal health and the field of behavioral health neglects maternal health.

Black women in particular have suffered: historically and presently, approaches to address black maternal mortality and behavioral health have systematically failed to engage communities with lived experience.

Led by a partnership of Morehouse School of Medicine, Emory, and a robust network of community-based organizations, and guided by principles of reproductive justice, research justice, and the NIMHHD mental health framework, the Center to Advance Reproductive Justice and Behavioral Health Among Black Pregnant/Postpartum Women (CORAL) will generate actionable evidence about the multilayered determinants of maternal behavioral health conditions in close and equitable partnerships with black women, and the community-based organizations that serve them, with the goal of ending the maternal behavioral health crisis in Georgia and beyond.

Georgia is an essential site for this work as it has among the highest pregnancy-related mortality ratios in the US, and black women experience a rate that is 2.3 times that of white women. The state MMRC has found that behavioral health conditions are a leading – and growing – cause of maternal death.

Leveraging an outstanding infrastructure spanning 2 major universities and a strong network of community organizations, CORAL will mobilize academic and community partners to support black maternal behavioral health by developing and sustaining a robust transdisciplinary community-driven research infrastructure; conducting rigorous, ethical transdisciplinary research in partnership with communities; building the capacity of the next generation of investigators; and collaborating with academic, governmental, and community to disseminate and translate discoveries.

The Morehouse School Of Medicine

TO CONDUCT AND SUPPORT LABORATORY RESEARCH, CLINICAL TRIALS, AND STUDIES WITH PEOPLE THAT EXPLORE HEALTH PROCESSES. NICHD RESEARCHERS EXAMINE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT, BIOLOGIC AND REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTIONS, BEHAVIOR PATTERNS, AND POPULATION DYNAMICS TO PROTECT AND MAINTAIN THE HEALTH OF ALL PEOPLE. TO EXAMINE THE IMPACT OF DISABILITIES, DISEASES, AND DEFECTS ON THE LIVES OF INDIVIDUALS. WITH THIS INFORMATION, THE NICHD HOPES TO RESTORE, INCREASE, AND MAXIMIZE THE CAPABILITIES OF PEOPLE AFFECTED BY DISEASE AND INJURY. TO SPONSOR TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR SCIENTISTS, DOCTORS, AND RESEARCHERS TO ENSURE THAT NICHD RESEARCH CAN CONTINUE. BY TRAINING THESE PROFESSIONALS IN THE LATEST RESEARCH METHODS AND TECHNOLOGIES, THE NICHD WILL BE ABLE TO CONDUCT ITS RESEARCH AND MAKE HEALTH RESEARCH PROGRESS UNTIL ALL CHILDREN, ADULTS, FAMILIES, AND POPULATIONS ENJOY GOOD HEALTH. THE MISSION OF THE NICHD IS TO ENSURE THAT EVERY PERSON IS BORN HEALTHY AND WANTED, THAT WOMEN SUFFER NO HARMFUL EFFECTS FROM REPRODUCTIVE PROCESSES, AND THAT ALL CHILDREN HAVE THE CHANCE TO ACHIEVE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL FOR HEALTHY AND PRODUCTIVE LIVES, FREE FROM DISEASE OR DISABILITY, AND TO ENSURE THE HEALTH, PRODUCTIVITY, INDEPENDENCE, AND WELL-BEING OF ALL PEOPLE THROUGH OPTIMAL REHABILITATION.

93.865 - Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) [HHS - NIH]

Atlanta, Georgia 303101458 United States

Single Zip Code

Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence (U54 Clinical Trial Optional) (RFA-HD-23-035)

Termination This cooperative agreement was reported as terminated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in July 2025. See All
Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 199% from $1,486,883 to $4,440,916.