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Clinicians and Doulas Partner for Health Equity

Home / Community Impacts / Clinicians and Doulas Partner for Health Equity

Community Impact: Big Idea Talk

Birth outcomes improve when clinicians and doulas partner.

Why do we need clinicians and doulas to partner? In the US, Black babies die at three to four times the rate of White babies and Black mamas die at two to three times the rate of White moms. Elizabeth Buys in an OB/GYN who shares an image that haunts her: a birthday party with a baby, cake, and a candle – a birthday party that never happens because mama or baby isn’t there. Elizabeth shares her experiences partnering with doulas and how others can do the same to save lives.

This Talk is a Heartfelt Tribute to the Memory of Nikita Smart: A courageous visionary who dedicated her life to advancing equitable and just healthcare for pregnant and postpartum families through her pioneering doula work. Her bold ideas and unwavering advocacy serve as a constant source of inspiration for our ongoing efforts. May her enduring legacy in the field of doula work continue to guide us.

Hear this story and how you can improve health equity in your community.

Watch the Big Idea Talk below!

Project

Community Based Doulas – Lavish to Essential Support

Cohort

2020-2023

Focus Areas
  • Maternal & Infant Health
  • Racial Justice
  • Social Determinants of Health
Team Members
  • Beth Buys, MD
  • Dolly Pressley Byrd, PhD, CNM
  • Crystal Cené, MD, MPH, FAHA
  • Amanda Brickhouse Murphy, CNM
Location

Asheville, North Carolina

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CLINICAL SCHOLARS

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COHORTS

  • Cohort 1: 2016-2019
  • Cohort 2: 2017-2020
  • Cohort 3: 2018-2021
  • Cohort 4: 2019-2022
  • Cohort 5: 2020-2023

LED BY

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

SUPPORTED BY

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Support for this program ended October 31, 2023

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Photos © 2016 Flynn Larsen, Courtesy of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation