CORAL CENTER

Modified Project Summary/Abstract Section – Overall CORAL Center Pregnant and postpartum women live at the crossroads of two of the gravest public health threats confronting the 21st century US: (1) the maternal morbidity and mortality epidemic and (2) the behavioral health crisis. In a nation with the highest maternal mortality rate of all high-income countries, maternal behavioral health conditions – such as anxiety, perinatal and postpartum depression, and birth-related PTSD – are the most common complications of pregnancy and childbirth, affecting 1 in 5 women. According to maternal mortality review committees (MMRCs), behavioral health conditions are one of the leading causes of maternal deaths and are the leading preventable cause of maternal deaths. Despite their size and impact, the US is ill prepared to mobilize to address these crises because behavioral health problems are neglected within the field of maternal health and because the field of behavioral health neglects maternal health. Led by a partnership of Morehouse School of Medicine, Emory University, and a robust network of local organizations, and guided by principles of Community Engagement, CORAL Center will generate actionable evidence about the determinants of maternal behavioral health conditions in close partnerships with women, and the organizations that serve them, with the goal of ending the maternal behavioral health crisis in Georgia and beyond. Georgia is an essential site for this work as it has among the highest pregnancy-related mortality ratios in the US. The state MMRC has found that behavioral health conditions are a leading – and growing – cause of maternal death. Leveraging an outstanding infrastructure spanning 2 major universities and a strong network of community organizations, CORAL Center will mobilize academic and community partners to support maternal behavioral health by developing and sustaining a robust multidisciplinary research infrastructure; conducting rigorous, ethical multidisciplinary research in partnership with communities; building the capacity of the next generation of investigators; and collaborating with academic, governmental, and community to disseminate and translate discoveries.