PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Mississippi continues to experience challenges in its healthcare delivery and the health outcomes of its citizens—among them our state’s pregnant women and newborns. The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) proposes to continue its collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with its individual state and territorial PRAMS programs, by participating in the CDC PRAMS Program’s Component A: Core Surveillance initiative. Under the continued leadership of Lei Zhang, PhD, MS, MBA, the Mississippi PRAMS Program has identified three specific aims and, within those aims, it has developed five goals: Aim 1: Utilizing the CDC PRAMS protocol, implement the Mississippi PRAMS Program to optimize surveillance practices and data captured of Mississippi’s pregnant women, their outcomes, and issues they encountered immediately prior to, during, and shortly after their pregnancy. Goal 1: Implement population-based surveillance within Mississippi on selected maternal behaviors and experiences that occur prior to, during, and shortly after pregnancy among women with a recent live birth, including emerging issues and post-disaster surveillance needs, as they arise. Goal 2: Ensure surveillance data is of high scientific quality, timely, and comparable to other jurisdictions by following the methodology documented in the CDC PRAMS protocol. Aim 2: Working with CDC, the Mississippi PRAMS Steering Committee and other Mississippi stakeholders, provide analysis of Mississippi PRAMS data that is informative and supports relevant public health practices, research, and programs. Goal 3: Conduct comprehensive analyses of Mississippi PRAMS data based on a written analysis plan designed to inform programmatic activities, research, and public health practice. Goal 4: Translate and disseminate analytic results into useable information for public health action that can guide program development and evaluation, in collaboration with the Mississippi PRAMS Steering Committee. Aim 3: Collaborating with public health officials, legislators, and researchers both within Mississippi and throughout the nation, address strategies to improve health equity and health outcomes among pregnant women and their newborn infants. Goal 5: Advance public health efforts that focus on preventable causes of infant mortality and maternal mortality with a health equity focus utilizing collaborative research and strategic partnerships.