UMass Memorial Health and UMass Medical School
Presentation Abstract
Behavioral Health Concerns Impacting Postpartum Health
Behavioral health is an essential domain of wellness that holds significant impact on postpartum health. Gaps in this domain are leading contributors to maternal mortality and offer opportunities to refine approaches to postpartum care. This workshop convenes experts who will discuss the impact of mental health, addiction, and gender-based violence on postpartum health with particular attention to social, structural, and policy factors, structural inequities, and bioethics. Research gaps including lack of experimental evidence on clinical and policy interventions and future directions will be identified.
About Dr. Yonkers
Dr. Kimberly Yonkers is the Katz Family Chair of Psychiatry at UMass Medical School/UMass Memorial Medical Center. As a Physician Scientist, she conducted numerous studies supported by the National Institutes of Health. These projects focused on exploring optimal ways to identify, engage, and treat mood disorders and substance use disorders in women. In a cohort of 2,700 women, she mapped the course of mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders and examined their relationship with adverse birth outcomes. She devised and tested behavioral and pharmacological treatments for perinatal women with substance use disorders. In a current study funded by the Patient Centered Outcome Research Institute, she is comparing engagement and treatment retention for pregnant women with an opioid use disorder among 12 perinatal centers that are randomized to receive substance use treatment support through collaborative care or the ECHO learning community model. She has also explored the influence of Department of Children and Family Services on receipt of care among perinatal women with substance use disorders.
Dr. Yonkers is an active educator and mentor. She is the author of more than 150 publications, 26 chapters, and two edited books. Among her invited lectures and awards are those from the American Psychiatric Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry.
Dr. Yonkers did not disclose any conflicts of interest for this workshop.