(August 10, 2023) — East Tennessee State University’s Center for Applied Research and Evaluation (CARE) in Women’s Health was recently awarded two separate grants to research child and maternal health outcomes as well as the intersection of postpartum contraception and infant feeding throughout Western North Carolina.
CARE Women’s Health, part of ETSU’s College of Public Health, is committed to improving the lives of women and their families through education, clinical practice and research. Both projects are funded by the Dogwood Health Trust, a private foundation that works to improve the health and well-being of those living in the 18 counties and the Qualla Boundary in Western North Carolina.
One project will examine the impact of a lack of access to services such as broadband and transportation, as well as income limitations, on maternal and child health outcomes. Dr. Kate Beatty, an associate professor in ETSU’s Department of Health Services Management and Policy, will be the lead researcher.
A second project exploring ways to influence the region’s high preterm birth rate by addressing short-interval pregnancies will be led by Liane Ventura, a research associate with CARE Women’s Health.
“Both projects are grounded in listening to the people impacted by these issues,” said Beatty. “We have a lot of data we can draw conclusions from, but really, understanding what is most important to the people who are living in these communities is critical to actually making change.
“What is exciting about this work is its practical relevance, and the practical impact it has. The work that we are doing will improve, in the long run, the lives of individuals in these communities.”
Both grants total more than $120,000.
Additional ETSU faculty working on these projects include Dr. Melissa White-Archer, with CARE Women’s Health, and Dr. Qian Huang, with ETSU’s Center for Rural Health Research. A student researcher, Rebecca Strasser, will be working as a graduate research assistant.
“I feel very passionate about uncovering the specific facilitators and barriers to accessing perinatal care within rural communities because they’re so nuanced,” said Ventura. “I think it will be very impactful to conduct this study, particularly in rural communities.”
Though this work will take place across state lines, it fits squarely into ETSU’s mission to better the lives of the people of this region – a community that extends far beyond the city limits of Johnson City.
“Being practice-based is one of the most exciting things we get to do at ETSU,” said Beatty. “These projects are based in Western North Carolina, but there are so many similarities in the lives and experiences of people across this region.”
ETSU professors and students regularly produce premier research, often earning competitive grants and fellowships. To learn more about CARE Women’s Health’s work, visit etsu.edu/cph/care-womens-health/.