This event is the first of five public webinars organized by the Standing Committee on Reproductive Health, Equity, and Society of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine with support from the Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education. Topic areas for discussing maternal health disparities are framed by the social determinants of health, in areas such as mental health, the work of doulas, implicit bias, community-based organizations and models, active-duty service women, and trust in health care.

The first webinar in the series will be held on Friday, May 3 at 12:00 p.m. ET. Speakers and panelists will explore the mental health needs of pregnant women and mothers in underserved communities and the work of birthing doulas to connect them to formal mental health services.