Durbin, Duckworth, Applaud NIH's Announcement Of UIC As Newest Maternal Health Research Center Of Excellence

07.02.24

Durbin, Duckworth, Applaud NIH's Announcement Of UIC As Newest Maternal Health Research Center Of Excellence

Awarded by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers of Excellence develop and evaluate innovative approaches to reduce pregnancy-related complications & deaths and promote maternal health equity

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) applauded the announcement by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that it has awarded two new grants to expand its Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence, including one at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Launched last year as part of NIH's Implementing a Maternal health and PRegnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) initiative, the Centers of Excellence develop and evaluate innovative approaches to reduce pregnancy-related complications and deaths and promote maternal health equity.

UIC was selected from the original applicant pool after a competitive peer review process and will receive approximately $2 million in first-year funding. The grants are expected to last six years. The UIC Maternal Health Research Center of Excellence will be led by principal investigator Rachel Caskey, M.D.

"It is unacceptable that we are losing mothers to deaths that could have been prevented with the right interventions and health care. We must act to address this national tragedy," said Durbin. "The Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence are doing amazing work to develop and evaluate new approaches to reduce pregnancy-related complications and deaths and promote maternal health equity, and now we will have an outstanding Center of Excellence in our own backyard at UIC. I look forward to seeing what innovative approaches they discover."

"It is absolutely unconscionable that hundreds of expectant and new moms are estimated to have died from preventable causes in one of the wealthiest countries in the world," Duckworth said. "I'm proud to see this federal funding help support the work of UIC's Maternal Health Research Center of Excellence, helping promote maternal health equity and reduce pregnancy-related complications and deaths. I will keep working with Senator Durbin to make sure our maternal health research institutions have the federal support they need to continue improving research and providing high quality care to families across Illinois."

"The UIC Maternal Health Research Center of Excellence will support cutting edge research to improve health outcomes for mothers and families, develop and train researchers across diverse health professional backgrounds and engage community members to advise on all Center activities. This Center is an important step toward addressing persistent disparities in maternal health outcomes in Illinois," said Dr. Caskey.

The Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence now include 12 research centers, a data innovation and coordinating hub, and an implementation science hub. These institutions work together and with community partners to design and implement research projects addressing the biological, behavioral, environmental, sociocultural, and structural factors that affect pregnancy-related complications and deaths. Their work focuses on populations that experience health disparities, including racial and ethnic minorities, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, those living in underserved rural areas, and people with disabilities.

The United States is one of only 13 countries in the world where the maternal mortality rate is worse now than it was 25 years ago and is the only industrialized country with a rising maternal mortality rate. The shocking statistics cut across geography, education level, income, and socio-economic status.

Durbin has been outspoken about the maternal mortality crisis, which disproportionally impacts moms of color, in the U.S. Last year, Durbin and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) introduced the CARE for Moms Act to build upon key provisions from their MOMMA Act, parts of which were based in bipartisan initiatives including the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, the Helping MOMS Act, and the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act.

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