University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Presentation Abstract
Collaborative Postpartum Care That Supports Cardiovascular Health and Promotes Equity
The US has the worst maternal mortality rates among developed countries primarily due to racial health disparities and inequity in perinatal care. The most disturbing rates of pregnancy-related deaths occur among Black women who have a 3-4 times higher maternal death rate compared to White and Latina/Hispanic women. Cardiovascular conditions such as maternal obesity, chronic hypertension, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and peripartum cardiomyopathy are major drivers of the high rates of pregnancy-related deaths, severe maternal morbidity and the associated racial disparities. These profound and persistent trends in maternal morbidity and mortality among Black women and birthing people highlight major gaps and opportunities for novel multilevel postpartum care models to mitigate the inequities. Specifically, postpartum care that integrates medical and community level interventions to address the major drivers of morbidity and mortality–hypertension, obesity and social drivers of health–should be implemented in this vulnerable postpartum period to support cardiometabolic postpartum recovery and promote equity in care of these high-risk women. This presentation will discuss collaborative care approaches that include community-partnered multilevel interventions in the postpartum period to improve the major factors–obesity, physical activity, nutrition, mental health, self-monitoring of weight and blood pressure–that promote ideal cardiovascular health postpartum. The presentation will also address how these novel collaborative care models can promote equity in postpartum care.
About Dr. Davis
Dr. Esa M. Davis is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Clinical, and Translational Science at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She is the Director of the UPMC Tobacco Treatment Service, Co-Director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s KL2 scholars’ program, and Director of the Career Education and Enhancement for Health Career Research Diversity program at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Davis’s research areas of interest include understanding perinatal determinants of adverse maternal cardiovascular health outcomes and in improving treatment strategies for tobacco use disorder in both hospitalized and presurgical patients. Her research has contributed new knowledge on the relationship of perinatal risk factors for maternal obesity, racial inequities, and adverse health outcomes, including gestational diabetes, peripartum cardiomyopathy, and hypertension disorders of pregnancy. She has conducted comparative effectiveness trials on screening strategies for gestational diabetes, strategies to reduce postpartum hypertension, and strategies to treat hospitalized tobacco users after discharge. Her research has been funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She has served on national committees including the National Academy of Sciences, NIH study sections, and American Heart Association (AHA) Research Committee as well as chaired the AHA Peer Review Sub-committee. She currently serves on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the AHA Funding and Quality Certification Committees, and the AHA Greater Pittsburgh Affiliates Board. Dr. Davis is a practicing family medicine physician, who maintains a primary care practice and coordinates a women’s health contraception clinic providing gynecological services to underserved women. She directs the UPMC Tobacco Treatment Service, which provides inpatient treatment to hospitalized tobacco users, outpatient perioperative treatment to presurgical patients, education and training to physicians and clinical staff, and conducts clinical trials. She teaches and mentors students and trainees across all levels and disciplines. She has extensive teaching and mentoring experience and has won several research and teaching awards. She is dedicated to improving the career pathway for underrepresented minorities and women in science and medicine.
Dr. Davis did not disclose any conflicts of interest for this workshop.