Embrace Center of Excellence

06/18/2026

As part of the EMBRACE summer book club we will be reading Torn apart: how the child welfare system destroys Black families — and how abolition can build a safer world by Dorothy Roberts.

Register here for the Zoom information to join: https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bORao77TFxPRdSS?Q_CHL=qr

We will be meeting every other Wednesday at 12pm.
June 10 – Prologue and Intro
June 17 – Part 1 (Chapters 1-3)
July 1 – Part 2 (Chapters 4-6)
July 15 – Part 3 (Chapters 7-10)
July 29 – Part 4 (Chapter 11)

06/17/2026

Our training component supports early-stage investigators in community-engaged maternal and reproductive health equity through mentorship, training, and capacity building.

06/15/2026

The number of babies who died from Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) is on the rise in Allegheny County.

“Taking action as a community means speaking openly and without blame,” said Jada Shirriel. “It means acknowledging that parents can deeply love their babies, and still be stressed, confused, and lacking the support and resources they need. It means that a parent may make a choice they believe is right in the moment, and that choice can have deadly consequences.”

Allegheny County has seen a dramatic increase in infant deaths over the last several years — nearly all of them preventable. Public health officials...

06/08/2026

The federal administration is proposing a new rule change at the NIH that would allow senior political appointees to control the review of grant awards and decision-making, shifting authority away from the current system which is led by career scientists, researchers, and program officers.

Submit a public comment to ensure the research community's voice is heard. Share how this proposal could affect your work, your field, or the future of evidence-based science.

Every comment matters. Help defend an independent, expert-led scientific review process. You can take action by submitting a public comment by July 13th, 2026 to ensure reproductive justice perspectives are represented at bit.ly/NIHpubliccomment.

Want to learn more? Go to bit.ly/NIHmoreinfo to learn more about this proposed rule change.

06/05/2026

06/05/2026

Are you pregnant or recently had a baby? Or are you a perinatal care and family support provider? Join our research study and help us co-design a sleep health program!

The goal is to create a feasible sleep health intervention that can be scaled up to reduce postpartum health inequities.

Learn more and get involved by emailing [email protected] or calling 412-360-8225.

06/02/2026

Black birthing people face disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality, yet most pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. Our team is developing a model of actionable postpartum care strategies to improve postpartum health and well-being of Black birthing people. By partnering with communities and healthcare providers, 4th trimester interconception care aims to create actionable strategies that advance equity in maternal health outcomes.

05/26/2026

Dr. Stacy Bartlett recently published A Guide to Implementing Fourth-Trimester Care in a Family Medicine Practice, emphasizing how earlier contact with patients during the postpartum period is important for assessing complications and preventing maternal morbidity.

Read more here ➡️

Earlier contact with patients during the postpartum period is important for assessing complications and preventing maternal morbidity.

05/25/2026

The Allegheny County Health Department recently announced a proposal that, if passed, would require all employers in the county to offer at least 18 weeks of paid parental leave. Jada Shirriel at Healthy Start, Inc. Pittsburgh/Allegheny County spoke out about the need for paid parental leave and how this ties to the higher rates of death from childbirth among Black women and infants in the region.

“These outcomes are the result of barriers, biases and structural inequities that continue to undermine the experiences of Black moms and birthing people across our region,” Jada Shirriel said. “And while the disparities for Black families continue to require us to take immediate action, we advocate for every family in our county to have the benefit of paid family leave.”

Read more here ➡️

If passed, a new proposal would require all Allegheny County employers offer at least 18 weeks of paid parental leave.