Date and Time
THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2024 | 2 PM ET/11 AM PT | VIRTUAL
Speaker
Natacha Blain
JD, PhD, Senior Board Director, Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Committee on Law and Justice, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Read Bio
Natacha Blain, JD, PhD, (she/her) serves as the Senior Board Director of the Board on Children, Youth and Families (BCYF) and the Committee on Law and Justice (CLAJ) at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. She has over 25 years of experience working with policymakers and senior legislative officials on a variety of social justice issues and campaigns including serving as a Supreme Court Fellow, Chief Counsel to Senator Dick Durbin on the Senate Judiciary Committee and Lead Strategic Advisor for the Children’s Defense Fund’s Cradle to Prison Pipeline Campaign. Prior to joining the National Academies, Dr. Blain served as Associate Director/Acting Executive Director of Grantmakers for Children, Youth and Families (GCYF). There she played a critical role in helping convene and engage diverse constituencies, fostering leadership, collaboration and innovation-sharing through a network of funders committed to the enduring well-being of children, youth and families. Dr. Blain earned her Master of Science and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Allegheny University of Health Sciences and MCP – Hahnemann University (now Drexel University) respectively, and her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Villanova School of Law.
Event Description
The National Academies’ Board on Children, Youth and Families is planning a study on Reducing Maternal Morbidity and Mortality. Natacha Blain, JD, PhD, of the National Academies will discuss plans to convene an ad hoc committee of experts to conduct a consensus study on reducing maternal mortality in the U.S. The committee will summarize the current evidence base concerning trends and disparities in maternal mortality. The committee will analyze and identify effective components of current policies, programs, and investments aimed at reducing maternal morbidity, mortality, and associated disparities. In addition, the committee will make evidence-based recommendations and identify existing gaps in research and data collection. The lived experience of communities disproportionately affected by maternal morbidity and mortality will be incorporated throughout the report process and development of the recommendations. In preparing this study, the committee will leverage and consider previous NASEM reports relevant to this topic (e.g., Advancing Maternal Health Equity and Reducing Maternal Morbidity and Mortality: Proceedings of a Workshop (2021); Nutrition During Pregnancy and Lactation: Exploring New Evidence: Proceedings of a Workshop (2020); Birth Settings in America: Outcomes, Quality, Access, and Choice (2020); Vibrant and Healthy Kids: Aligning Science, Practice, and Policy to Advance Health Equity (2019)).