University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
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. Lyerly
Dr. Anne Drapkin Lyerly is Professor of Social Medicine, Research Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and core faculty in the Center for Bioethics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. A board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist and bioethicist, she studies ethically complex issues around gender and reproductive medicine. She co-founded the Second Wave Initiative, an effort to ensure that the health interests of pregnant people are fairly represented in biomedical research and drug and device policies. She is the Principal Investigator (PI) on the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded PHASES Project, addressing the ethics of HIV research and pregnancy, and the PREPARE Project, addressing the ethics of research engaging pregnant adolescents; and was co-PI on the Wellcome Trust-funded PREVENT project on research, pregnancy, and public health emergencies. Dr. Lyerly is an alumna of the Greenwall Foundation’s Faculty Scholars Program and Fellowship in Bioethics and Health Policy. She chaired the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Committee on Ethics and has served as advisor for organizations including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, NIH, and the World Health Organization. She has written dozens of articles and book chapters for academic and public audiences, including publications in journals such as the Journal of the American Medical Association and The Lancet as well as the New York Times. She is author of a book titled “A Good Birth,” published by the Penguin Group/USA.
Dr. Lyerly did not disclose any conflicts of interest for this workshop.