About the Mississippi Delta Center of Excellence in Maternal Health
The Mississippi Delta Center of Excellence in Maternal Health is an NIH/NICHD-funded research center led by Jackson State University and supported through a seven-year cooperative agreement under the IMPROVE Initiative (Grant No. 1U54HD113238-01). The Center’s mission is to prevent maternal mortality, reduce severe maternal morbidity, and promote health equity in partnership with the Mississippi Delta community using community-based participatory research.
MSDCoE coordinates research projects, training initiatives, and community engagement activities focused on postpartum care, reproductive health, community-based support models, maternal health training research, and mental health. All activities are conducted under Institutional Review Board (IRB) oversight to ensure ethical research practices and participant protections. Through collaboration with community organizations, healthcare partners, and academic institutions, the Center contributes to a growing body of knowledge aimed at informing future maternal health research, policy, and practice.
Aim 1 (Research Project 1)
Determine the effectiveness of an evidenced-based community worker home visiting program grounded in extensive patient and community participation.
This research project will determine the effectiveness of a multicomponent maternal support program – focused on physical well-being, social work, mental health, and infant care – to reduce severe maternal morbidity within populations experiencing the greatest maternal health inequities in Mississippi.
Aim 2 (Research Project 2)
Evaluate the effectiveness of a multilevel patient-clinical linkage intervention to increase trust and engagement in postpartum healthcare among women in the Mississippi Delta.
Our strategy will reduce structural barriers to healthcare engagement, improve providers’ patient-centered communication skills, and increase knowledge of postpartum health issues.
Aim 3 (Community Partners)
Establish meaningful and equal community partnerships throughout the research development process and training.
Our strategy will reduce structural barriers to healthcare engagement, improve providers’ patient-centered communication skills, and increase knowledge of postpartum health issues.
Aim 4 (Training)
Establish a training program for early-stage investigators that addresses the interpersonal and structural factors that affect maternal outcomes.
Our strategy will reduce structural barriers to healthcare engagement, improve providers’ patient-centered communication skills, and increase knowledge of postpartum health issues.
Our Team
Project1
MS Dept. of Health 2023-2025
Krista Guynes, MsW
Principal Investigator
Office of Women’s Health
MSDH/ MSDCoE
Ms. Claire Mozingo, MPH
Program Manager
Director, Time4Mom
MSDH/ MSDCoE
Alcorn State University 2026 – Present
Shirley Evers-Manly, PhD, RN, ADLN, FAAN
Principal Investigator
Dean & Professor, School of Nursing
Alcorn State University
Dr. Archie Taylor
Co-Principal Investigator
Professor
Alcorn State University
Dr. Henning
Co-Lead
Professor
Alcorn State University
Dr. Girmay Berhie
Co-Lead
Informatics & Data Analytics
JSU/MSDCoE
Dr. Mary Shaw
Co-Lead
Professor
JSU/MSDCOE
UMMC 2023 – Present
James Tucker, MD
Principal Investigator
Chair
Obstetrics & Gynecology UMMC/MSDCoE
Laura Coats, MD
Co-Principal Investigator
Dir. of Research
Obstetrics & Gynecology
UMMC/ MSDCoE
Dr. Cowan
Research Coordinator
TBD
UMMC
Project2
2023 – Present
Dr. Mary Shaw
Principal Investigator
Professor
JSU/MSDCOE
Ebele Okoye
Senior GRA
JSU/MSDCoE
Dr. Angela Omondi
Co-Lead
Behavioral Health Promo & Edu. JSU/MSDCoE
Dr. Taylor Straughter
Co-Lead
Mental Health Interventionist
Pearls Of Hope/MSDCoE
Dr. Jennifer Scott
Co-Lead
S.H.E. Interventionist JSU/MSDCoE
Dr. Isler
Co-Lead
TBD JSU/MSDCoE
Trust
Equity
Community
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