Black Maternal Health Week: Life Course, Weathering, and Why Maternal Health Is Public Health.

Episode Description:

Mariam Badru introduces the first episode of the Maternal and Child Health Podcast, released during Black Maternal Health Week 2026 (April 11–17), following National Public Health Week, emphasizing that maternal health is public health. She shares her entry into maternal and child health as a preconception health educator at the University of South Florida (2015–2016) and explains how chronic stress from systemic discrimination shapes health across the life course, including intergenerational effects, citing research on epigenetic changes following the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the concept of “weathering” introduced by Dr. Arline Geronimus. She discusses PBS’s “Unnatural Causes,” outlines Black Maternal Health Week’s origins with the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (2018), and reviews data showing persistent U.S. maternal mortality disparities, including higher rates for Black women and American Indian/Alaska Native women, preventable deaths, maternal care deserts, and the need for multi-level, equity-focused solutions centered on listening to affected voices.

Timestamps/Segments:

00:00 Welcome and Purpose

01:12 My Public Health Journey

02:26 Life Course Perspective

03:48 Weathering and Chronic Stress

05:21 Documentary That Changed Me

06:36 What Black Maternal Health Week Is

08:12 The Data Behind Disparities

11:13 Beyond Numbers and Access Gaps

12:06 Solutions and Equity in Practice

14:37 Call to Action and Closing