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Aya Kondo (left) and Ariel Morrow (right) are doctoral students at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). Both Kondo and Morrow are members of the Maternal and Child Health Student Interest Group. The organization, spearheaded by the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, gives students access to info and community groups that help to improve maternal and child health in Arkansas.
| The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health strives to address the state’s maternal and child health status in a myriad of ways.
That includes a Maternal and Child Health Student Interest Group, established in 2021, that trains the next generation of maternal and child health experts.
“Students receiving exposure to maternal and child health content and learning how to make a difference in Arkansas is important,” said Alex Marshall, Ph.D., MPH, associate professor and chair of the college’s Department of Health Behavior and Health Education. “We want students to receive a multifaceted opportunity to learn about, and attempt to help solve, Arkansas’ maternal and child health shortcomings.
“Therefore, students in the group receive access to guest speakers and different community service activities. We have a book club component to it that also gives students a chance to read and discuss various articles and books published about the issues.”
The organization is a byproduct of the department receiving a Health Resources and Services Administration MCH Catalyst Grant. A portion of the funding assists with training future maternal and child health leaders through special course offerings, the college’s MCH Certificate Program, the student interest group, and through putting students in contact with maternal and child health advocates.
Ariel Morrow and Aya Kondo are among the college’s students who have joined the group. As Black women especially, both aspire to address maternal and child health. Data shows that dangerous maternal and child health situations affect Black women at an abnormally high rate.
“I aspire to be a physician-scientist focusing on reproductive health sciences,” Kondo said. “I’m currently in the second year of my Master of Public Health program with a dual focus in epidemiology and maternal and child health. A big part of what led me down this path is the passion I have for reproductive health issues, especially when they apply to Black births. With Arkansas having the highest Black maternal mortality rate in the country, I take any opportunity I can to learn more about reproductive health issues and initiatives that can help combat the epidemic.”
“I’ve always had an interest in maternal and child health,” said Morrow, a doctoral student. “I have a personal history with women’s health myself. In this current political climate, where there are policies in place that make it difficult for women to get their vital health needs met, addressing these issues and eliminating barriers to health care access is more important than ever before. It is important to make sure there is widespread awareness about how the lack of health care access impacts women’s decision-making abilities. Therefore, we make sure to promote widespread awareness about how these issues impact women and children, especially Black women.”
As a teenager, Morrow received an endometriosis diagnosis. Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue grows outside the uterus. It can cause severe pain in the pelvis and make it harder for a woman to get pregnant.
Alex Marshall, (right) Ph.D., MPH, chair of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, listens to a comment during a Maternal and Child Health Student Interest Group meeting. Meanwhile, Ariel Morrow (left) listens in as well.
Morrow will never forget the recommendation she received to address the ailment.
“At the age of 16, I was presented with the option of performing a hysterectomy — and I was only a teen,” she said. “I think back on that situation and can’t help but to reflect upon the historical injustices that countless Black women have had to endure. Could this be one offspring of that legacy? There is still a legacy of harm that is alive and well today. It doesn’t have to be that way. Let’s right the wrongs and push back against medical biases, insensitive recommendations and stigmas linked to the abuse that Black women have had to suffer in medicine.”
Kondo had a family member who nearly died while giving birth. She often thinks of that situation and how no one should have to endure that kind of mental and physical distress.
“Several Black folks I’m in community with have had adverse issues related to their birth experiences and even their overall reproductive health in general,” she said. “As a Black woman, I’m incredibly aware of the issues I could face if reproduction is something I choose to do with my body one day. Reproductive health isn’t just related to being pregnant though. Like many people with bodies that experience pregnancy, my hormonal and mental health are affected by my reproductive health right now, and that is more pressing to my current quality of life than whether or not I choose to bear children.”
Addressing maternal and child health disparities should be an all-hands-on-deck, unified movement. For that reason, any student attending one of UAMS’ colleges can join the group.
“Maternal and child health effects everyone,” Morrow said. “We all come from a biological mother, of whom we carry within us her mitochondrial DNA. This is a major call to action for more than one college or segment of society. If we want to improve the situation, we need to raise awareness and work together.
“Through this organization, we’re promoting the idea of all UAMS students taking an interest in the situation by providing students with the support and skills they need to help improve the health outcomes of women and children in their community.”
The inclusion of a wide array of ideas, lived experiences and academic trainings adds another layer of value to the student group, Kondo said.
“Medicine and Public Health should and need to co-exist,” said Morrow.
“Health care and medical sciences as a whole are not static,” Kondo added. “They’re not just one thing. Public health is not just one thing. Maternal and child health is not just one thing. I think diversity in terms of how many different students are involved in the group is pivotal for the future of maternal and child health in Arkansas.
“As future leaders, change-makers and professionals within the health care field, involvement from all walks of UAMS students in this group is incredibly important.”
Creating a sense of cohesion within the next generation of maternal and child health advocates is among the missions of the organization. That’s also a major reason why Kondo joined the group.
“I’m excited to connect with my peers about the work they’re doing and the dreams that they have for the improving of maternal and child health,” she said. “I’m looking forward to learning from guest speakers that do different types of work related to reproductive health. I’m also eager to participate in volunteer opportunities that will be available through the group.”
Morrow said that being in the organization is blazing a path for her to assist women, especially those from underrepresented and outlying communities. She’s grateful for the chance to help fill in where there’s a gap in resources.
“Members of underserved and rural communities too often experience difficulties linked to social determinants of health like a lack of access to health care, lack of health care insurance, lack of income, low quality and low levels of education or lack of necessary resources available to help them adequately address and support their health care needs, overall health, and well-being,” she said.
Marshall enjoys working with the students in establishing a better standard for maternal and child health in Arkansas. The growth of the group is one of the things that gives her hope that Arkansas’ maternal and child health status will continue to improve.
“We’ve had a good number of students participate in the organization each year,” she said. “One thing about maternal and child health, is it cuts across medicine, public health, nursing, in a variety of ways. Arkansas ranks at the bottom regarding maternal and child health disparities. There’s no shortage in the need to train the next generation of professionals who will try and tackle these issues.”
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