BOSTON - March 7, 2020 - According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, African-American women are three times more likely than white women to die from causes related to pregnancy due to racial bias within the nation's healthcare system. The racial disparities and inequities in healthcare resulting in the high number of deaths linked to pregnancy in Black women will be examined at the 3rd Annual Black Maternal Health Conference: A Community Led Response, on April 10, 2020, from 7:20 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., at Tufts University School of Medicine, 145 Harrison Avenue, Boston. Tufts University School of Medicine is sponsoring the day-long event that includes a pre-conference workshop beginning at 8:20 a.m., followed by workshops, guest speakers and a prenatal yoga session. The Black Maternal Health Conference is part of a national campaign week, April 11 - April 17, an initiative led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance.
More than 400 healthcare students, professionals and families are expected to attend and learn about the prevalent causes of healthcare disparities and unnecessary deaths related to Black maternal health. The aim of the conference is to raise awareness, evoke activism, build community and increase mindfulness for issues related to maternal mortality and morbidity for Black mothers in the United States. "Black maternal health is a pressing issue, we need to come together as one community to dismantle the clinical and structural barriers within the medical and public health field," said Ndidi-Amaka Amutah-Onukagha, PhD, MPH, CHES Associate Professor Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine.
Keynote speaker includes: Shafia Monroe, founder of the International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC), and founding member of the Oregon Doula Association; Camara Phyllis Jones, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D. Senior Fellow of Satcher Health Leadership Institute and Cardiovascular Research Institute. Jones is an epidemiologist, medical anthropologist and civil rights activist who specialize in the effects of racism and social inequalities on personal health. Jones said, "Creating awareness and helping others understand the importance of Black maternal health is our goal as professionals. We are to bridge the gaps in academia and community. This is a worldwide issue."
The conference is free and open to the public. Food, childcare, tranquility and lactation rooms will be provided. For the schedule, full speaker profiles, general information, vendor or sponsorship opportunities, please visithttp://sites.tufts.edu/bmh2020/ and https://www.facebook.com/bmmtufts/. Please email further questions and requests to bmm@tufts.edu or call617.804.5419. Conference participants may register by visiting, https://tufts.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1zGhOgQmqp0J9s1.
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