Advancing Maternal & Child Health: A Celebration of Innovation showcases Impactful Research and Interventions—
On Thursday, March 20, 2025, the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin (AHW) Endowment hosted an event that brought together healthcare professionals, researchers, and community partners committed to improving maternal and child health outcomes across Wisconsin.
The “Advancing Maternal & Child Health: A Celebration of Innovation” event showcased groundbreaking work funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and highlighted the collaborative spirit driving progress in this critical healthcare domain.
Addressing a Critical Need through Strategic Funding
In November 2022, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services directed $5.5 million in ARPA funding to the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) to be administered by AHW. This strategic investment aimed to advance maternal and child health initiatives throughout the state, leveraging AHW’s infrastructure, technical expertise, and extensive networks to identify and support innovative projects addressing maternal health disparities.
A Day of Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration
The day began with welcome remarks from Ugwuji Maduekwe, MD, MMSc, MPH, associate dean and deputy director of AHW and associate professor in MCW’s Department of Surgery, who emphasized the power of federal funding and the collective wisdom of participants in driving impactful work.
Anna Palatnik, MD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and the Patrick J. and Margaret G. McMahon Endowed Chair at MCW, delivered the keynote address on “Equity-Focused Interventions in Improving Maternal Health Outcomes.” Her presentation examined disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality, identified key levers for reducing these disparities, and highlighted ongoing equity-focused interventions at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin and throughout the region.
Innovative Projects Driving Change
The event featured presentations from ARPA-funded project teams, showcasing their methodologies, experiences, and outcomes.
Presentations from our department included: Improving Maternal Health with the Focus on the Fourth Trimester, presented by Natasha Griffin, MEd; Increasing Access to Pregnancy Care through Mobile Clinics by Laurie Diske, MSN, MBA, RN; Developing Perinatal Trauma-Informed Care Curriculum for Obstetric Clinicians and Staff by Abbey Kruper, PsyD; Preconception Health and Contraception Education among High School Students by Nadia Tabit; Postpartum Management of Preeclampsia by Nadine Sunji, MD; Building Trust and Uniting Teams through Doula by Erica Marion, PhD.
