# Mitigating the Impact of Implicit Bias on Maternal Morbidity and Mortality for African  American Women

> **NIH NIH UH3** · MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $245,534

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
African American (AA) women are 2-4 times more likely to experience pregnancy-related severe morbidity and
mortality than are white mothers in the US. Half of pregnancy-related maternal mortality is judged to be
preventable, but access to quality care is problematic for AA women. Implicit bias, perceived racism and
culturally inappropriate interactions with health care providers have all been linked to a lack of health care
utilization. The amplification of AA women's voices and the support of AA women-led solutions are critical to
achieving maternal health equity. The work proposed in this 1-yr Administrative Supplement builds on the aims
of the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) parent grant (UG3/UH3OD023285, Paneth
Contact PI), which are to assess environmental exposures during pregnancy and the perinatal period in
relation to later child health outcomes. We will enroll AA women from our Detroit ECHO site and work closely
with the Atlanta ECHO pregnancy cohort (Dunlop & Brennan, UG3/UH3OD023318), which enrolls US-born
Black women. The hypothesis for this study is that eliciting guidance from AA women and their health care
providers through the lens of reproductive justice, respectful care, and health equity, can offer critically
important information useful in improving AA women's treatment in the health care setting and their utilization
and participation in health care, thereby reducing disparities in adverse maternal health outcomes. Through
interviews and focus groups with AA mothers, health care providers, and community groups, the aims are to 1)
identify facilitators and barriers for mitigating the impact of implicit bias and racism on AA women in the health
care setting, based on input from key informants, including both AA women at risk and health care providers;
and 2) develop strategies that will optimize utilization and effectiveness of healthcare services for AA mothers.
This ECHO-wide study is innovative in eliciting guidance from AA women and their health care providers
through the lens of reproductive justice, respectful care, and health equity and it will contribute to better
understanding of ECHO's Pre, Peri, and Postnatal health outcomes. It is significant in discovering critically
important information for improving AA women's treatment in health care settings that will improve participation
in health care, thereby reducing disparities in adverse maternal health outcomes. The result will be the
development of a toolkit of specific strategies for mothers to counter negative interactions and obtain patient
centered, respectful care. The goal is to empower women by discovering mechanisms women and providers
can employ to lessen the impact of unconscious or implicit bias in the health care setting and thus reduce the
risk of severe morbidity and mortality.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10199204
- **Project number:** 3UH3OD023285-05S3
- **Recipient organization:** MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Charles James Barone
- **Activity code:** UH3 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $245,534
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2016-09-21 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10199204

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10199204, Mitigating the Impact of Implicit Bias on Maternal Morbidity and Mortality for African  American Women (3UH3OD023285-05S3). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10199204. Licensed CC0.

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