Improving safety and outcomes for pregnant and postpartum people
Official title: Interventions to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes
Funded at Columbia University Health Sciences · NIH-11380481 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at social and health-system factors and programs like Medicaid to try to reduce life-threatening pregnancy complications, suicide, and maternal deaths while listening to patients and communities.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 17, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $528,060 |
| NIH project number | 5U54HD113172-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11380481 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pregnant people and those recently postpartum—especially individuals from high-risk communities or people who experienced severe pregnancy complications—would be most relevant to participate in interviews or local program efforts.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not pregnant or postpartum, or who live outside the study's geographic focus, may not directly benefit from the interventions studied.
What this research studies
We will combine large-scale data analysis with interviews and focus groups to study how social risks at the state, county, and hospital levels relate to severe maternal morbidity, suicidality, and maternal mortality. The team will compare the effects of two program interventions—Medicaid eligibility generosity and specific healthcare characteristics—on those outcomes and estimate hospital costs linked to social risk factors. We will conduct qualitative interviews with patients, community members, and hospital stakeholders to learn about lived experiences and practical solutions. Together these methods aim to identify policies and hospital practices that could reduce harm for high-risk populations.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to policy and hospital changes that reduce severe pregnancy complications and maternal deaths and improve support for high-risk communities.
How similar studies have gone: Some prior research links policies like Medicaid expansion to better maternal outcomes, but few studies have combined multi-level data analysis with patient and community interviews, so this integrated approach is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia University Health Sciences
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Li, Guohua — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Li, Guohua
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.