The Nation's Largest Black Maternal Health Conference Announces Speaker Lineup and an Award-Winning Film Premiere

Ahead of Black Maternal Health Week, The 7th Annual Black Maternal Health Conference to Host Tech Experts and Premiere Black Motherhood Through the Lens Documentary

BOSTON, Feb. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Organizers of the 7th Annual Black Maternal Health Conference, the nation's largest convening focused on global Black maternal health outcomes, with nearly 4000 attendees annually, today announced its list of speakers for the April 5 full-day, virtual conference, and the newly added April 6 film premiere of Black Motherhood Through the Lens by filmmaker/producer Dr. Adeiyewunmi (Ade) Osinubi. Hosted by the Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice at Tufts University School of Medicine, the 7th Annual Black Maternal Health Conference centers on the role of technology in addressing Black maternal health disparities while creating a one-of-a-kind space to discuss innovations to end the adverse maternal health outcomes experienced by Black Women.

Speakers of this year's conference include:

• Jessica Bell Van de Wall, CEO, Frame Fertility
• Layo George, founder and CEO, Wolomi
• Melissa Hanna, CEO and co-founder, Mahmee
• Wanda Irving, co-founder and Chairman of the Board, Believe Her App
• Kimberly Seals Allers, founder, The Irth App
• Simmone Taitt, founder and CEO, Poppy Seed Health
• Ariana McGee, Theadora James, and Elicia Harris, MD, cofounders, Navigate Maternity

For a full list of speakers, visit: https://bmhc2024.vfairs.com/en/#agenda

Additionally, for the first time in Conference history, the Center will host the premiere of Black Motherhood Through The Lens, an award-winning documentary that follows the birthing experiences of four Black women, navigating the reproductive and maternal healthcare system from conception to postpartum. The screening will be held virtually and in-person on April 6, followed by a panel discussion with the filmmaker.

Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha, Ph.D., MPH, CHES, Julia A. Okoro Professor of Black Maternal Health, Tufts University School of Medicine and Director for the Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice said, "We pride ourselves on being the first and only Center of its kind to convene the greatest minds in tech and medicine to address the Black maternal health crisis, head on. In-person and virtually we reach policy and lawmakers, researchers and professionals in academia, providers and practitioners, such as doulas and midwives, and the community as a whole. We are in crisis. Black women and infants are in crisis. This is not the time to stand idly by. This is the time to act, and it involves all of us."

She continued, "With the inclusion of premiering Black Motherhood Through the Lens, shown in its entirety for the first time ever, we're giving faces to those who this crisis impacts most. We're telling their stories to inform the changes we need to see."

The goal of the annual conference is to:

• Identify how health professionals can improve the Black maternal health experience.
• Understand the role that bias and systemic racism play in causing adverse maternal health outcomes for Black birthing people in the U.S.
• Facilitate conversations between health professionals and the community at large on ways to become advocates and improve Black maternal healthcare.

Discounted early bird registration for the 7th Annual Black Maternal Health Conference is open, with the premiere included virtually for all registrants.

Tickets for the premiere of Black Motherhood Through the Lens, in-person or virtual, are also available.

About the Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice

The Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice (CBMHRJ) is the first center of its kind, in the country, to foster academic and community-engaged research with a focus on Black maternal health and eliminating inequities. Born out of the MOTHER Lab, the Center is founded and directed by Dr. Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha, Ph.D., MPH, CHES, the Julia A. Okoro Professor of Black Maternal Health and Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine in the School of Medicine. CBMHRJ works to protect the Black birthing experience by advocating for quality, equitable, and respectful care in childbirth. The center seeks to create a world where Black women can safely, efficiently, and comfortably receive equitable access to healthcare services without having to navigate through racism and/or discrimination in medical settings.

Media Contact

Jennifer Chapple Ingram, Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice, 1 617-636-6948, [email protected], https://blackmaternalhealth.tufts.edu

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SOURCE Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice