Associate Dean for Faculty Development Cary Ward, MD works with Duke SOM colleagues; Brenna Hughes, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Jerome “Jeff” Federspiel, MD, PhD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Marie-Louise Meng, MD, assistant professor of anesthesiology, and Dana McComb, RN, to make pregnancy safer. Check out the Duke SOM Magnify article below.
Making Pregnancy Safer: Inside the Effort to Reduce Maternal Mortality
By Mary-Russell Roberson
Article Excerpt
"In the United States, giving birth is more dangerous than in other wealthy nations. Much more dangerous.
“Despite being highly industrialized and having advanced medical care available, we have the highest rate of maternal mortality of any developed nation,” said Brenna Hughes, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. “We also see that the maternal mortality rate is multifold higher in Black women than white women.”
What’s worse, maternal rates for all racial and ethnic groups in the United States are rising. There have been ups and downs, with a significant uptick during the COVID-19 pandemic, but overall, “it’s been going up for decades,” according to Jerome “Jeff” Federspiel, MD, PhD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
“At Duke, we have a large focus on trying to address maternal morbidity and mortality, and in particular, trying to focus on racial disparities,” said Hughes.
A multifaceted problem requires a multifaceted approach, and Duke physicians are tackling this one in the clinic, with system-wide protocols, and through research."