EMBRACE
CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
Equity in Maternal and Birthing Outcomes and Reproductive Health through Community Engagement
About EMBRACE
Our vision is to advance maternal and reproductive health equity and justice through multidisciplinary research, training, practice, and policy efforts focused on Black birthing people in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and the surrounding region.
Our Goals
- Advance interdisciplinary research guided by Reproductive Justice principles and Public Health Critical Race Praxis
- Develop, implement and evaluate
multi-level interventions
- Implement training and education in the areas of reproductive justice and maternal health equity
- Promote and ensure ongoing bidirectional collaboration with community-led and Black-led partners
EMBRACE Core Components & Projects
Active Research Project: 4TM/ICC
MPIs: Drs. Stacy Bartlett and Cynthia Salter
Integrates reproductive justice and racial equity to develop new models of 4th trimester and interconception care.
Training Component
MPIs: Ngozi Tibbs, Dr. Cathy Haggerty
Bidirectional training and education in Reproductive Health Equity and Justice, anti-racism, anti-oppression and humanity-centered design.
Community Component
MPIs: Jada Shirriel, Dr. Onome Oghifobibi, Dr. Ashley Hill
Implements a strengths-based community engagement strategy to promote bidirectional learning while also equitably distributing power.
Principal Investigators
Dara D. Méndez, PhD, MPH; Mehret Birru Talabi, MD, PhD; Hyagriv Simhan, MD, MS
We expect the work of EMBRACE to contribute to sustainable approaches and interventions that will advance maternal andreproductive health equity and justice and improve health and well-being for Black women, femmes, and gender expansive people.