The Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) has created the Maternal Morbidity and Mortality (MMM) web portal. Launched during the 4th Annual NIH Vivian W. Pinn Symposium on May 15, 2019, the MMM web portal will serve as a go-to website that women can rely on for trustworthy, science-based information on healthy pregnancy, delivery, and peripartum and postpartum experiences.
As the primary government agency responsible for biomedical and public health research, NIH invested about $250 million in maternal health in fiscal year 2017. NIH supports a great deal of research on many different aspects of maternal health, so those interested in Federal efforts to address this issue need a go-to website that puts this information in one place. As well as serving as a website for mothers, the MMM web portal is designed to serve as a resource for staff at the NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices who address maternal health. Scientists at NIH and elsewhere can use the MMM web portal to view information about the scope of interdisciplinary research on this important topic, specific funding opportunities and programs, and clinical trials related to maternal health. The website is composed of six sections for users to easily locate information.
Women who are considering pregnancy, are about to become moms, or have previously delivered a baby can find out more about how this period relates to their health across the life course in the “Information for Moms” section. This Trans-NIH section provides a wealth of information and research on maternal health, pregnancy-related complications, chronic conditions, stillbirths, and data. The knowledge provided here can help identify and mitigate the risks of childbirth throughout a mother’s life.
In the “Publications” section, users can follow links to scholarly publications reflecting the wealth of knowledge on MMM generated by research. These links go to PubMed — the free search engine that provides access to references and abstracts on biomedical topics via the National Library of Medicine at NIH.
The “Additional Resources” section links to popular non-scholarly articles originating from both the Federal Government and other sources.
There are many events and gatherings where scientists share information and stories on MMM, as well as on maternal health overall. That’s why the MMM web portal includes an “Events” section. There, individuals who promote maternal health and mothers themselves can find a listing of Federal events focused on this topic.
NIH-funded research has led to breakthroughs and the development of new treatments, helping people live longer, healthier lives and building the research foundation that drives discovery. This led to the creation of the “Funding Opportunities” section. Identified in this section is a carefully curated selection of available NIH-funding opportunities supporting maternal health research.
In the future, the MMM web portal will feature a section called “Maternal Health Across NIH,” which will include more specific information on NIH’s efforts to improve maternal health.
Maternity entails far more than giving birth to a child and can have long-lasting impact on the health of both mother and child. ORWH will continually update the MMM web portal with new research, knowledge, and funding opportunities, which will help mitigate the risks to mother and child, so please return for the latest information.