Studies show that rates of maternal mortality among Black women in the United States are three times higher than those among their white peers. HMS alum Monique Rainford has dedicated her career to better understanding maternal–fetal health disparities in Black populations and working to reduce them.

Here, Rainford speaks about the genesis of her book, Pregnant While Black: Advancing Justice for Maternal Health in America. She details the disproportionate risks seen in Black pregnancies. She shows that these disparities cannot be fully explained by biology, genetics, socioeconomic status, or education but rather are intertwined with institutional racism — often exhibited in subtle and unconscious forms.

Learn more and hear an excerpt from the book at Harvard Medicine magazine: https://hms.harvard.edu/magazine/slee...