Open help menu
Live Webinar

The Root of the Crisis: Addressing Structural Racism and Implicit Bias in Maternal Health

Veronica Gillispie-Bell, MD
|

Information

Date & Time

Description

There are wide disparities in maternal outcomes with Black women experiencing maternal deaths at a rate 4 times higher than their white counterparts. What is at the root of this and other disparities? Systemic barriers and implicit bias that inhibit the ability to provide the same quality of care to women of color are at the root. We will discuss the historical perspective that has led to these inequities and the pathway to improvement.

Educational Goal

The educational goal of this workshop is for participants to identify actionable items that can be implemented to improve maternal outcomes.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Identify at least three key disparities in maternal health outcomes across different populations.

  • Describe at least two systemic barriers linked to structural racism that impact maternal health outcomes.

  • Explain the concept of implicit bias as a cause of inequities in healthcare delivery.

  • Identify at least two strategies to reduce disparities in maternal healthcare.

Target Audience

  • Addiction Professional
  • Counselor
  • Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Nurse
  • Physician
  • Psychologist
  • Social Worker

Presenters

Veronica Gillispie-Bell, MD
Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell is a nationally recognized obstetrician-gynecologist, researcher, and maternal health advocate whose mission is to eliminate racial disparities and transform systems of maternal care through evidence, equity, and innovation. She serves as System Medical Director of Health Outcomes and Medical Director of Quality for Women’s Services across Ochsner Health, and directs the Minimally Invasive Center for the Treatment of Uterine Fibroids. A Professor at Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine, Dr. Gillispie-Bell is known nationally for her expertise in managing heavy menstrual bleeding due to fibroids and performing advanced laparoscopic and robotic-assisted surgeries. As Medical Director of the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative and Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review for the Louisiana Department of Health, she leads statewide initiatives that have improved outcomes across more than 40 hospitals and reduced severe maternal morbidity. Her leadership has informed both state and national maternal health policies, and she has testified before Congress, was an invited speaker at the inaugural White House Maternal Health Day of Action, and has advised the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Communications Commission. Her research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including over $16 million in federal grants advancing maternal health equity. She serves on several national committees, including ACOG’s Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines – Obstetrics, where she serves as the Vice-President and the National Network of Perinatal Quality Collaboratives Executive Committee. Dr. Gillispie-Bell’s leadership has been recognized with honors such as the American Heart Association Women in STEM Award, Delta Omega Honor Society in Public Health, and Top Women Leaders of Louisiana. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine and the Board of Trustees at St. George’s Episcopal School. A trusted national voice in maternal health, she has been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, CNBC, and The 1619 Project Docuseries, and quoted in The New York Times and USA Today.

Financially Sponsored By

  • Aetna Better Health of Louisiana
  • Humana Healthy Horizons in Louisiana
  • Louisiana Healthcare Connections