Training Core Abstract Rising rates of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity among those who face persistent disparities, not only demand new approaches to transdisciplinary research, but these inequities mandate the training of a new research, clinical, and public health workforce who can address these challenges. This workforce must have a knowledge base that is steeped in the structural, environmental, behavioral, and biological factors that affect women’s maternal health, including pregnancy-related/associated mortality and severe maternal morbidity. In addition, the maternal health workforce must include those who represent communities typically underrepresented in the research, clinical care delivery, and public health. Commitment to the rigorous training and exposure of this workforce to a wide variety of diverse and transdisciplinary concepts, methods, and approaches to etiologic and intervention research is paramount. As such, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Maternal Health Research Center of Excellence proposes the development of a Training Program to build the research capacity of early stage investigators (ESIs), junior faculty, post-doctoral fellows, research assistants (RAs), as well as clinical partners from community agencies who together will have a diverse set of skills and experiences to enable them to bring fresh insights, ask novel questions, and discover innovative approaches to reducing inequities in maternal health outcomes. A. Specific Aims 1. To increase the diversity of the maternal health research pipeline by recruiting and supporting the academic career development of racially and ethnically diverse postdoctoral and junior faculty fellows from a variety of clinical and public health backgrounds. 2. To develop and successfully implement a robust training program for early stage investigators, including junior clinical and public health faculty and post-doctoral fellows, to enable them to address a variety of research questions related to reducing maternal health inequities using innovative quantitative and qualitative research methods and strategies. 3. To provide community-based clinical partners with a robust research training experience that will enable them to successfully undertake or partner with investigators to conduct maternal health research. 4. To provide a strong research and journey mentoring program to early stage investigators to enable them to effectively address maternal health issues including reducing inequities in maternal health outcomes.