What drives racial gaps in pregnancy deaths and severe complications
DRIVERs: Data systems Research to Identify driVers of Ethnic & Racial disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality
Researchers will combine hospital and community data to find what non-medical factors lead to higher pregnancy-related deaths and severe complications, especially for Black women.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Cincinnati NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cincinnati, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11257425 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you're a pregnant or postpartum patient at one of the participating hospitals, the team will use de-identified health records linked to neighborhood and regional data, death files, and national electronic health record networks to look for patterns. They will compare outcomes for Black and White patients to see which hospital- and community-level factors relate to deaths or severe maternal complications. This project uses existing records and data linkage rather than new tests or treatments. The goal is to identify specific drivers that hospitals or communities could address to reduce preventable maternal harm.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People most directly included would be pregnant or postpartum individuals whose care records are in the participating hospital systems or in the linked national EHR networks, particularly Black women.
Not a fit: Patients who received care outside the participating hospitals or whose records are not in the linked datasets are unlikely to be included and may not see direct benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could reveal hospital and community changes that reduce pregnancy-related deaths and severe complications for Black women.
How similar studies have performed: Previous observational studies have shown racial gaps in maternal outcomes and links with social determinants, but this large, multi-system linked-data approach to pinpoint hospital and regional drivers is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Cincinnati, United States
- University of Cincinnati — Cincinnati, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hsu, Albert L — University of Cincinnati
- Study coordinator: Hsu, Albert L
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 below.