By: Bryetta Calloway
UT Southwestern Medical Center has been awarded an $18 million grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to lead a multicenter trial to improve postpartum health for low-income Black and Hispanic women. Researchers from UT Southwestern and Emory University, including Dr. Sheree Boulet and Dr. Marissa Platner, will play pivotal roles in this groundbreaking project.
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is an independent, non-profit organization established in 2010 through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the United States. Its mission is to fund research that helps patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers make better-informed decisions about healthcare choices. PCORI focuses on comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER), which evaluates and compares the benefits and risks of different medical interventions to determine the most effective options for various patient populations and healthcare settings.
PCORI prioritizes research that is relevant and valuable to patients and their families. The $18 million grant for this project highlights PCORI's recognition of the importance of improving postpartum care for low-income Black and Hispanic women and the potential for this trial to significantly impact maternal health outcomes.
The trial will be conducted at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas and Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, two of the busiest delivery hospitals in the U.S. Combined, these hospitals handle nearly 14,000 deliveries each year, serving predominantly low-income patients who either have no health insurance or are on Medicaid. Given the scale and scope of these hospitals, the results of this trial have the potential to impact postpartum care in the United States significantly.
Dr. Sheree Boulet, the principal investigator for the Atlanta site, will be responsible for implementing and overseeing all activities related to the project. Dr. Boulet brings a wealth of experience to this role, having spent over a decade researching maternal and child health, specifically focusing on racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare access and outcomes. Her expertise will be invaluable in addressing the unique challenges Black and Hispanic women face in the postpartum period.
Dr. Marissa Platner, a co-investigator on the project, will provide clinical oversight and support for the Atlanta site. As an experienced maternal-fetal medicine specialist, Dr. Platner will provide critical expertise and insight into disparities in prenatal care and maternal health outcomes. Her commitment to improving clinical care and promoting health equity will ensure the trial's success and, ultimately, improve postpartum care for the target population.
In collaboration with Emory University, the multicenter trial led by UT Southwestern will explore innovative ways to address the unique postpartum care needs of low-income Black and Hispanic women. The trial aims to identify and implement evidence-based interventions to improve maternal health outcomes in this vulnerable population. It will test the effectiveness of telehealth versus intensive patient education for reducing postpartum complications. By focusing on this the postpartum period, the trial has the potential to address longstanding disparities in adverse maternal outcomes and contribute to a more equitable healthcare landscape.
The Emory community can take pride in the involvement of its esteemed researchers, Dr. Sheree Boulet and Dr. Marissa Platner, in this groundbreaking project. Their contributions will be vital in achieving the trial's ambitious goals and transforming postpartum care for low-income Black and Hispanic women. Their expertise and dedication to health equity will be instrumental in ensuring that the trial's outcomes have a lasting, positive impact on countless women's and their families' lives.
Healthcare providers, policymakers, and advocates for maternal health equity will benefit from the results of this multicenter trial, as this project aims to revolutionize postpartum care for low-income Black and Hispanic women. By identifying effective, evidence-based interventions, the trial can contribute to developing best practices and guidelines that can be adopted nationwide, ultimately ensuring that all women, regardless of their background, have access to the highest quality of postpartum care.