In 2019, Columbia World Projects (CWP) launched the Leveraging Policy to Improve Maternal Health in the Fourth Trimester project in collaboration with health departments in six states and New York City. In 2020, recruitment began for the Postpartum Assessment of Health Survey (PAHS), a first-of-its-kind multi-state survey on health outcomes, overall well-being as well as health care access, quality, costs, and barriers in the postpartum year.   

In its final year, the CWP project led by Dr. Jamie Daw, Assistant Professor at the Mailman School of Public Health, and Dr. Heidi Allen, Associate Professor at the School of Social Work, has been awarded a National Institutes of Health R01 Grant. The NIH, composed of several institutes and centers, awards large-scale grants for health-related research and development that align with the mission of the organization. One of 27 centers, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities has selected the PAHS survey project for funding. The award will allow the project team to continue to collaborate with government partners to generate high-quality evidence on how to  effectively improve postpartum health equity. 

The prestigious five-year grant underscores the value and urgency of the information collected through PAHS for data-driven decision making by state and federal policymakers. 

“This project is an excellent example of CWP’s pursuit of "Fourth Purpose" work,” said Wafaa El-Sadr, executive vice president for Columbia Global, “which aims to accelerate tangible social impact in the world using research and cross-disciplinary connection.”

Reducing high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity in the United States has become a top policy priority and more than half of the pregnancy-related deaths occur in the postpartum year.  The project’s evidence-based findings will serve as a vital resource for advocacy organizations, governments and medical professionals to develop and implement social policy changes to address the current maternal health crisis. 

About Columbia World Projects 

Columbia World Projects is a university-wide initiative established in 2017 to forge a closer and more useful connection between Columbia University’s vast research capabilities and the needs of the world. CWP mobilizes researchers and scholars to work with governments, organizations, businesses, and communities to tackle global challenges.