Student researchers tackle Black maternal health disparities
Team Black Mamas Matter informed Maryland Day participants about Black maternal health through trivia outside of the School of Public Health on Saturday.
Inspired by a push in Black maternity awareness in the wake of the 2020 George Floyd protest while in highschool, the University of Maryland Gemstone Honors team has taken the opportunity to explore the experiences of Black maternity in Prince George’s County since 2022.
The maternal mortality rate among Black women is over two times that of white women, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In their research, Team Black Mamas Matter found that Black mothers tended to rely on family members when seeking health information due to a long history of mistrust of the healthcare system.
They also found that some maternal healthcare providers, such as doulas and certified nurse midwives, do not receive cultural competence training.
“There is so much more work that needs to be done and there are so many issues in the system now,” Aden Eskinder, senior biology major and member of the team, said.
At the Maryland Day event, team members presented their research findings to passerbys. The team also provided support resources concerning maternal health, like listing ways to help someone who has recently given birth. Participants who correctly answered the questions were awarded with prizes such as Gemstone stickers, phone wallet holders and candy.
Camille Chapman, a ‘84 and ‘92 graduate of this university, felt the research reinforced what she knew about maternal healthcare disparities Black women face. She grew up in Washington, D.C., and a lot of her medical experiences were with healthcare professionals of color. To her, cultural awareness plays a role in the quality of healthcare, particularly avoiding assumptions made about her race.
“That [cultural awareness] impacts one’s ability to actually look deeper into your medical issues,” Chapman said.
Most of the members of Team Black Mamas Matter are graduating in May and are eager to communicate their findings. They also participated in Undergraduate Research Day on Wednesday and are planning on providing health system recommendations to the Prince George’s County Board of Health.
Eskinder emphasized the importance of increasing funding for this field of research, along with introducing standardized cultural competence training for maternal caregivers.
“There’s so many issues within the system now,” Eskinder said.
Nearly $12 million in UMD research grants and contracts have been impacted by the Trump administration’s attack on “DEI” based research, The Diamondback reported on Wednesday. Esohe Owie, a senior public health science major and member of the team, found the cuts to be disheartening, with women’s—especially Black women’s health being under-researched areas.
“This is where you kind of lean on your community as a researcher. Everyone is going through the same feelings of uncertainty and fear,” Owie said. “So focus, maybe we can’t do the general population but we can focus on this neighborhood…just think smaller for now.”