UIC Maternal Health Center of Excellence brings together teams to improve maternal health in communities
Official title: UIC Maternal Health Research Center of Excellence
Funded at University of Illinois at Chicago · NIH-11538511 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A center-based program at UIC will work with communities and researchers to reduce maternal death and serious health problems by improving systems of care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Illinois at Chicago NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | June 11, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $2,658,135 |
| NIH project number | 4U54HD113087-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11538511 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are pregnant or recently pregnant individuals affected by high-risk maternal health conditions in urban and community settings near Chicago.
✕Less likely to help
People without access to maternal health services or those not engaged with system-level care improvements may see limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
This grant supports a center that unites researchers from many disciplines to study how community factors shape maternal health outcomes. It focuses on systems-level changes to prevent maternal mortality and severe morbidity rather than only individual risk factors. The center will grow early-career investigators and provide training to build a workforce skilled in maternal health improvement. The work includes partnerships with communities to identify barriers and test scalable interventions that can be adopted across settings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could reduce maternal deaths and serious complications by improving care systems and community supports.
How similar studies have gone: Previous multilevel and community-partnered approaches have shown promise in improving maternal outcomes in various settings.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Caskey, Rachel — University of Illinois at Chicago
- Study coordinator: Caskey, Rachel
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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.