WHEP Scholar Debi Smith
Drexel University College of Medicine, Class of 2023

Significant racial disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality have continued to increase in the United States for decades. Following decades of decline, maternal deaths began to rise in the 1990’s despite advancements in medical technology and health care. By 2013, rates of maternal mortality and morbidity and pre-term births had more than doubled and now are twice that of most high-income nations (Roeder, 2020). More than half of these deaths and near deaths are from preventable causes, and black women are disproportionately affected contributing to the longstanding racial disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes (Declercq & Zephyrin, 2020). People of color are at increased risk for poor maternal and infant health outcomes, with Black women three to four times more likely to die a pregnancy-related death as compared their white counterparts (Singh & Yu, 2018). Growing research indicates that quality of healthcare, from preconception through postpartum care, may be a critical lever for improving outcomes for racial and ethnic minority women. This article reviews racial and ethnic disparities in severe maternal morbidities and mortality, underlying drivers of these disparities, and potential levers to reduce their occurrence.

Read Debi's full paper.