Global Maternal & Child Health
Global Health Meets Maternal & Child Health
Maternal and child health focuses on improving the well-being of mothers and children. These efforts aim to ensure adequate nourishment, support recovery after childbirth, and promote healthy growth, reducing disparities and enhancing health outcomes globally. In the Hubert Department of Global Health, research and practice areas in this area span a variety of subtopics such as nutrition, postpartum health, and child development.
Our Faculty Working in Maternal and Child Health
Many Hubert Department of Global Health faculty members are experts in nutrition, especially as it relates to maternal and child health. Maternal and child health nutrition focuses on ensuring adequate nourishment during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, and early childhood—all of which are critical periods for growth and development. This includes addressing malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, breastfeeding promotion, and food security to improve health outcomes and reduce mortality rates.
Postpartum health addresses the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of mothers following childbirth. Topics include maternal mental health, recovery from delivery, management of postpartum complications, and access to health care services. In the Hubert Department of Global Health, faculty members focus on advancing health equity in this critical arena by exploring person-centered interventions.
Child development encompasses the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional milestones children achieve from birth to adolescence. It highlights the importance of early interventions, nutrition, education, and nurturing environments for optimal development. Hubert Department of Global Health faculty members use their expertise to develop parenting interventions to promote healthy development.
Melissa Young, PhD
Young’s research focuses on maternal and child nutrition, including topics such as breastfeeding, anemia, micronutrient deficiencies, and program implementation and evaluation. The central theme that ties Young’s research together is a focus on nutrition during the first 1000 days, a critical window of opportunity to improve child health for lifetime.
Elizabeth Rhodes, PhD
Rhodes is an implementation scientist who works with community and clinical partners to make maternal health services more accessible, person-centered, and equitable.
Joshua Jeong, ScD
Jeong’s research examines how parent-child relationships contribute to early child development in low-resource settings. He applies mixed-methods, intervention research, and implementation science to develop, evaluate, redesign, and disseminate father-inclusive parenting interventions.
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