While women comprise half of the population, and share many of the same health concerns as men, they experience high rates of certain health conditions, such as obesity and depression. Social norms and gender roles in American society also put women and their children at increased risk for some adverse health events—disparities that are particularly pronounced along racial/ethnic lines. For example, single, female-headed households are far more likely to experience food insecurity, as are African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos.1 Attending to, and reducing disparities in, women’s health is also critical to the health of children. Babies born to African American mothers are twice as likely to have low birth weights while mothers who have not finished high school are three times more likely not to receive prenatal care in the first three months of pregnancy.
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Maternal and Child Health Working Group: MCHWG is a multidisciplinary group of academics, clinicians, and policy makers who strive to improve the health of women and children through education and research. MCHWG activities include hosting educational forums for children and faculty, evaluating community-based interventions in maternal and child health, and informing maternal and child health policies at state, local, and federal levels.
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Professor Nathalie Bartle, EdD conducts research in the areas of child and adolescent health and has evaluated programs aimed at reducing infant mortality in Philadelphia. Her book, Venus in Blue Jeans: Why Mothers and Daughters Need to Talk About Sex (1998), has received national and international attention.
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Assistant Professor Renee M. Turchi, MD, MPH conducts research and clinical work that focuses on children and youth with special health care needs. Dr. Turchi is Director of the Pennsylvania Medical Home Program, a statewide quality improvement initiative for pediatric practices across Pennsylvania and is Medical Director of Special Programs at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children
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Associate Professor Igor Burstyn, PhD is an educator and researcher in the field of environmental and occupational health with a particular interest in the effects of environmental in utero exposures on the health of pregnant women and their children.
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Associate Professor Carla Campbell, MD, MS is a pediatrician and leads a number a lead poisoning prevention programs targeting children in Philadelphia. Dr. Campbell is currently the Principle Investigator of a study to evaluate the effectiveness laws regulating the presence of lead-based paint in Philadelphia homes.
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Associate Professor Curtis Cummings, MD, MPH is a retired Captain of the U.S. Navy Medical Corps and is an expert in the toxicology of heavy metals. Dr. Cummings is Co-Director of a study to evaluate the effectiveness laws regulating the presence of lead-based paint in Philadelphia homes.
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Witnesses to Hunger: Witnesses is a project about engaging low-income women and their children in deciding about the programs and policies that affect them. The project provided 50 women with digital cameras to document their day-to-day life experience and capture the issues most important to them and their children. The project has gained the attention of Congressional leaders and received a breadth of coverage in the popular press.
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Associate professor Alison Snow-Jones, PhD uses economic models to examine women’s health issues, such as domestic violence, and their policy implications.
1. Current Population survey 2009.