BUFFALO, N.Y. — A new clinical trial aimed at curbing hypertension and mental health issues in postpartum women, particularly women of color, is coming to Western New York.
The University at Buffalo is among three institutions that were selected for the new clinical trial.
According to the news release, the study will enroll 6,000 postpartum women, mostly Black and Latinx.
The adverse health impacts have a more profound effect on Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Latinx women due to social determinants of health.
“Maternal health is one of the most important health priorities for the African American community. Hypertension as well as the social determinants of health have created unacceptable birth outcomes in the community,” according to George F. Nicholas, the pastor of Lincoln Memorial United Methodist Church in Buffalo and convener of the African American Health Equity Task Force, a partner on the research project.
The women will be enrolled in three medical centers, Kaleida Health’s Oishei Children’s Hospital, Yale New Haven Hospital, and UMass Medical Center.
“Women who have hypertensive disorders during pregnancy are at higher risk throughout their lives for adverse cardiovascular outcomes,” said Vanessa Barnabei, MD, Ph.D., professor emerita in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, who played a critical role in securing the funding for UB before retiring.
The project is being funded through an $18.8 million grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute with UB receiving $3.7 million.
“This grant will enable us to obtain important information on how to improve birth outcomes for women and children in the community,” Nicholas said.
According to the news release, study recruitment is underway and is being led by the Yale School of Public Health.
To learn more about the study click here.
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