The Maternal Child Health Equity & Safety (MatCHES) Lab, led by Dr. Zoua Vang, supports innovative research to improve maternal child health locally and globally. Current research supported by the Lab includes projects on:
- The impact of a co-designed, trauma-informed, community health worker intervention (Mat-CHW) on access to health care services and maternal, infant and child health outcomes among refugees in Wisconsin.
- The effects of childbirth evacuation on perinatal depression and infant growth/development among the Inuit in Nunavik.
- The cross-cultural adaptation and validation of culturally appropriate perinatal depression screening tools.
- Racism and settler colonialism as barriers to Indigenous women’s access to culturally safe healthcare.
Researchers in the Lab investigate these issues using quantitative and qualitative methodologies and participatory research approaches.
The overall goal of the MatCHES Lab is to work together with mothers and their communities to improve maternal healthcare services and maternal-child health outcomes.
Research
The MatCHES Lab is currently concentrated on four research studies.
Resources
We have compiled resources for mothers and families in the United States and Canada.