Intersectionality in Black Maternal Health Experiences: Implications for Intersectional Maternal Mental Health Research, Policy, and Practice.

Introduction: Black women experience significant maternal mortality and morbidity disparities in the United States. Although emerging research has focused on reducing maternal mortality rates among Black birthing individuals, we must explore structural and social factors contributing to mental health outcomes during the perinatal period. Gaps exist where intersectional identities and experiences in maternal and child health are examined.

Understanding the Effects of Trauma Exposure, Life Stress, Intimate Partner Violence, and Depression on Sexually Transmitted Infection Risk in Post-Conflict Liberia.

In sub-Saharan Africa, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a public health concern. The impact of STIs are exacerbated in post-conflict low- and middle-income countries, such as Liberia, where exposure to traumatic events is prevalent and access to mental health services are limited. Following a syndemics framework, this study used regression analyses to explore the independent, additive, and multiplicative effects of four psychosocial conditions (exposure to war-related traumatic events, intimate partner violence [IPV], stressful life events, and depressive symptoms) on self-reported STIs.

Implementation of California COVIDNet - a multi-sector collaboration for statewide SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance.

Introduction: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic represented a formidable scientific and technological challenge to public health due to its rapid spread and evolution. To meet these challenges and to characterize the virus over time, the State of California established the California SARS-CoV-2 Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) Initiative, or "California COVIDNet". This initiative constituted an unprecedented multi-sector collaborative effort to achieve large-scale genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 across California to monitor the spread of variants within the state, to detect new and emerging variants, and to characterize outbreaks in congregate, workplace, and other settings.

Outcomes of adding cognitive behavioral therapy to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder.

Background: With increasing rates of opioid overdose deaths throughout the United States, there is an urgent need to implement interventions to mitigate this trend. Psychosocial interventions are reported to improve retention rates in rehabilitation centers with medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs for opioid use.

Local Problem: In 2020, 14% (187 of 1,309) of opioid overdose deaths in Georgia were in Dougherty County where an intensive outpatient MAT program had historically used twice weekly group therapy plus individual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with an inconsistent duration and frequency.

The feasibility and acceptability of Project POWER: a mindfulness-infused, cognitive-behavioral group intervention to address mental and sexual health needs of young pregnant women in Liberia.

Background: Following 14 years of civil war in Liberia, war exposure, gender-based violence, and extreme poverty have been identified as key challenges affecting the mental and sexual health of young pregnant women and the health of their unborn children. Despite ongoing efforts to rebuild the country's healthcare infrastructure, empirical and culturally tailored interventions to address the consequences of war are severely limited. To address these concerns, we developed Project POWER (Progressing Our Well-being, Emotions, and Relationships), a mindfulness-infused, cognitive-behavioral intervention for young adult pregnant women.