Modeling the causes of severe pregnancy complications for Black women in North Texas
Official title: Complex Systems Approaches to Advance Maternal Health Research and Prevention: Developing a System Dynamics Simulation Model of Severe Maternal Morbidity among Black Women in North Texas.
Funded at University of Texas Arlington · NIH-11159443 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project builds a computer simulation that maps how medical, social, and community factors contribute to severe pregnancy complications for Black women in North Texas.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas Arlington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Arlington, United States) |
| Project start | September 26, 2023 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $371,670 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MD017596-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11159443 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are non-Hispanic Black women of reproductive age in North Texas who are willing to share their experiences or take part in group model-building workshops.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not Black, not in North Texas, or who need immediate medical treatment rather than planning or prevention work are unlikely to get direct clinical benefit from this project.
What this research studies
You and other community members, clinicians, and researchers will work together in guided workshops to map the many social and medical factors that lead to severe maternal complications among non-Hispanic Black women in North Texas. Those maps will be turned into a system dynamics simulation — a computer model that shows how these factors interact and change over time. The team will use local data and expert input to calibrate the model and test how different prevention actions might change outcomes. The model is meant to highlight which combination of actions could most meaningfully reduce severe maternal morbidity in your community.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to the most effective prevention strategies to reduce severe pregnancy complications among Black women in North Texas.
How similar studies have gone: System dynamics and group model-building have been used in public health and sometimes in maternal health to guide policy and prevention, but applying these methods specifically to severe maternal morbidity among Black women in North Texas is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Texas Arlington
Arlington, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Brown, Kyrah K — University of Texas Arlington
- Study coordinator: Brown, Kyrah K
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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.