Deadline: June 5, 2025, October 5, 2025
Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-24-059
Research Objectives
The objective of this initiative is to solicit grant applications (R01s) seeking to bridge the knowledge gap about understudied healthcare system and clinician factors across the full spectrum of maternal care – prenatal, perinatal, and up to 1 year postpartum in the United States. Of particular interest are intervention studies (e.g., clinical trials, quasi-experiments, stepped-wedge designs) designed to evaluate and address these disparities. Preliminary observational studies (primary/secondary data) or mixed-methods studies are encouraged to support the proposed intervention targets and outcomes. Secondary goals of the research can include examination of mechanisms/pathways through which these healthcare factors contribute to MMM disparities.
Research projects can focus on one or more points across the continuum of care, from prenatal care to postpartum care up to 1 year after labor or delivery. Projects should be guided by evidence-based conceptual model(s) of relevance to minority health and health disparities research, and recognize the overlapping and multilevel factors that contribute to health outcomes (See the NIMHD Research Framework, https://www.nimhd.nih.gov/about/overview/research-framework.html. Projects are encouraged to test interventions designed to address MMM disparities among minoritized racial and ethnic, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and underserved rural and urban populations of reproductive age, with a focus on healthcare system, clinician, and clinical factors. These include but not limited to access and quality of preventive, specialty, and emergency care, as well as health insurance coverage. Research examining the role(s) of health insurance may focus on public and/or private insurance plans. Also of interest are studies on care coordination and early detection and diagnosis of underlying health problems and timely referrals, taking into consideration both patient (e.g., substance use, smoking, prenatal care follow-up, co-morbid conditions) and clinician factors (e.g., patient-clinician communication, clinician bias, postpartum coordination of care). Projects that evaluate novel patient-centered and culturally appropriate care for racial and ethnic minoritized women are also of interest.
Projects should prioritize intervention research to test new or adapted interventions. Health services research should examine the effectiveness of new or existing programs, services, or policies. Implementation research designs should examine the uptake and sustainability of evidence-based interventions or practices. Evaluation of health policies and changes in healthcare delivery systems, as well as social and/or behavioral, and clinical interventions are all of interest. Researchers are encouraged to use applicable intervention approaches (cognitive behavioral, social influence, community mobilization, implementation science, health communication, policy advocacy and change), and are required to include rigorous estimates of sample size, follow-up of at least one year, and well-defined health outcomes.
For more detailed information, please see the opportunity webpage.