Live Q&A: Maternal Health Care: Real-World Tactics to Address Health Inequities

This activity is part of a series

Faculty

Monica E. Peek, MD, MPH, MSc
(she/her/hers)
Ellen H. Block Professor of Health Justice in the Department of Medicine
Associate Director, Chicago Center for Diabetes Translation Research
Director of Research, MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics
The University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Monica E. Peek, MD, MPH, MSc

Monica Peek, MD, MPH, MSc is an Ellen H. Block Professor of Health Justice in the Department of Medicine. She is also the Associate Director, Chicago Center for Diabetes Translation Research, and Director of Research, MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. She is a practicing internist, medical educator, and clinician investigator. Her research pursues health equity and social justice, with a focus on promoting equitable doctor/patient relationships among racial minorities, integrating the medical and social needs of patients, and addressing health care discrimination and structural racism impacting health outcomes (e.g., diabetes, COVID-19). Dr. Peek has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and abstracts on health care disparities, diversity, and bias; has been the principal investigator of multiple grants to address health disparities; and has been invited to speak at numerous local and national medical meetings.

Heather Irobunda, MD, FACOG
Attending Physician, NYC Health + Hospitals, New York, NY
Heather Irobunda, MD, FACOG

Heather Irobunda, MD is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist currently practicing at NYC Health + Hospitals, offering over a decade of experience in the medical field. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania in 2004, after which she attended a Post Baccalaureate Program at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York (SUNY) Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. She earned her Doctorate of Medicine from Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in 2011.She went on to serve as an active-duty Army OB/GYN as she completed her Residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the National Capital Consortium, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and joined the Guthrie Ambulatory Care Center as an Attending Physician in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Fort Drum, NY. She helped soldiers, spouses, and veterans by focusing on making sure military women had access to high-quality reproductive health care during their service. She continues to provide high-quality healthcare, currently for the people of the Bronx, New York.

Sierra McClain-Henry, HBCE
Founder, Sankofa Mama Birth Services, Houston, TX
Sierra McClain-Henry, HBCE

Sierra McClain-Henry is the founder of Sankofa Mama Birth Services, providing full-spectrum doula support and a variety of parent courses, including HypnoBirthing, Prepared 4 Postpartum and Belly Birth Basics. Also known as, “The Doula’s Doula,” Sierra offers continuing and technical education for birth workers, as well as mentoring and a line of professional documents via her Business School for Doulas.

Since 2021, Sierra has served as Training and Support Coordinator for the Shades of Blue Project, helping to further initiatives that break cultural barriers in maternal mental health.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Sierra is a homeschooling mother of 2 and a lifelong Houstonian.

Statement of Need

Though awareness and recognition of disparities within maternal health have increased in recent years, persistent racial and ethnic disparities in both maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States remain. In fact, standardized maternal mortality reporting practices from 2018-2020 in the U.S. demonstrated that non-Hispanic Black birthing people die at a rate approximately 3x higher than that of their non-Hispanic White and Hispanic counterparts. It is imperative that clinicians recognize the root causes and the impacts of health inequities in pregnant and postpartum patients, and utilize this knowledge to create individualized, holistic treatment plans with the goal of improving outcomes in maternal care.

This live Q&A session is your opportunity to ask questions based on the CME Outfitters BriefCase that focused on real-world tactics to address health inequities in maternal care. To view the full activity ahead of this live Q&A, click here.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this CME/CE activity, participants should be able to:

  • Identify the impact of health inequities on pregnant and post-partum patients.
  • Individualize a holistic treatment plan for maternal care to improve patient and infant outcomes.

Financial Support

Supported by an educational grant from Johnson & Johnson.

Target Audience

Physicians, physician associates (PAs), nurse practitioners (NPs), nurses, pharmacists, Doulas, lactation specialists, specializing in OB/GYN, primary care, anesthesiology, pediatrics, or neonatology

Credit Information

Jointly Accredited Provider

In support of improving patient care, CME Outfitters, LLC, is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Interprofessional (IPCE) 1.0

This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 1.0 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) Credit for learning and change.

Physicians (ACCME) 1.0

CME Outfitters, LLC, designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurses (ANCC) 1.0

This activity is designated for 1.0 contact hour.

Note for California Nurses

This continuing nursing education activity was approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing. CME Outfitters, LLC’s provider number is CEP15510.

Pharmacists (ACPE) 1.0

This application-based activity is approved for 1.0 contact hour (0.10 CEUs) of continuing pharmacy credit.
Activity UAN: JA0007185-0000-22-123-H01-P

Physician Assistants (AAPA): 1.0

CME Outfitters, LLC, has been authorized by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 1.0 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. Approval is valid until the expiration date listed above. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

Pediatricians (ABP MOC) 1.0

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the activity and individual assessment of and feedback to the learner, enables the learner to earn up to 1.0 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABP MOC credit.

ABIM MOC 1.0

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.0 medical knowledge MOC point in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

MIPS Improvement Activity

Completion of this accredited CME activity meets the expectations of an Accredited Safety or Quality Improvement Program (IA_PSPA_28) for the Merit-based Incentive Payment Program (MIPS). Clinicians should submit their improvement activities by attestation via the CMS Quality Payment Program website.

Royal College MOC

Through an agreement between the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, medical practitioners participating in the Royal College MOC Program may record completion of accredited activities registered under the ACCME’s “CME in Support of MOC” program in Section 3 of the Royal College’s MOC Program.

Disclosure Declaration

It is the policy of CME Outfitters, LLC, to ensure independence, balance, objectivity, and scientific rigor and integrity in all of their CE activities. Faculty must disclose to the participants any relationships with commercial companies whose products or devices may be mentioned in faculty presentations, or with the commercial supporter of this CE activity. CME Outfitters, LLC, has evaluated, identified, and attempted to resolve any potential conflicts of interest through a rigorous content validation procedure, use of evidence-based data/research, and a multidisciplinary peer review process. The following information is for participant information only. It is not assumed that these relationships will have a negative impact on the presentations.


Dr. Peek reports that she is a consultant for Pfizer Inc.


Dr. Irobunda reports that she is on the advisory board for Moderna, Inc.; consultant for Johnson & Johnson; receives other financial/material support from Bayer.


Dr. McClain-Henry reports no financial relationships to disclose.


Disclosures were obtained from the CME Outfitters, LLC staff: No disclosures to report:

  • Jeffrey Helfand, DO (peer reviewer)
  • Meghann Taft-Lockard (planning committee)
  • Morgan Stockberger, MD (planning committee)
  • Kellie Busby, PharmD (planning committee)
  • Sandra Caballero, PharmD (planning committee)
  • Susan H. Yarbrough, CHCP (planning committee)
  • Sharon Tordoff (planning committee)

Faculty of this CE activity may include discussions of products or devices that are not currently labeled for use by the FDA. The faculty have been informed of their responsibility to disclose to the audience if they will be discussing off-label or investigational uses (any uses not approved by the FDA) of products or devices.

Obtaining Credits

Post-tests, credit request forms, and activity evaluations must be completed online (requires free account activation), and participants can print their certificate or statement of credit immediately (75% pass rate required). This website supports all browsers except Internet Explorer for Mac. For complete technical requirements and privacy policy, visit our Privacy & Confidentiality page.

Questions about this activity?

Call us at (877) CME-PROS or (877) 263-7767.

BCQ-072-022423-57

 

Live Q&A: Maternal Health Care: Real-World Tactics to Address Health Inequities
Event Date: 02/24/2023