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December 2023

Universal Human Rights Month

"I hope to be a mother one day."


A call to action for a safer future: Interim Executive Director Solaire Spellen explores the crucial need to advocate for change in maternal healthcare in honor of World Prematurity Day 2023.

Read the piece (3 min)

Celebrating Unity and Healing at the San Francisco County Black Birthworker Retreat

Discover the highlights of the San Francisco County Black Birthworker Retreat, a day dedicated to unity and healing. Read the detailed recap for an overview of the event's discussions, insights, and community connections.

Read the recap
Dr. Theopia Jackson, Ph.D.

Fellowship Spotlight: Martha Tesfalul, MD


Martha, who is a maternal-fetal medicine attending and assistant professor at UCSF, graduated from the PTBI two-year post-doctoral fellowship program in 2021. Her research focused on improving obstetric health care in high-risk pregnancies to optimize both maternal and newborn outcomes.


The fellowship is focused on reducing disparities in preterm birth and improving maternal and neonatal outcomes. Fellows have the opportunity to work with world-class researchers and mentors, develop ideas and partnerships within a collaborative network, and formally build additional research skills.

Connect with Martha


Join the Center and Care Study and receive a $100 gift card

The Center and Care study hopes to interview 20 Black caregivers who have had preterm infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in the Bay area in order to gain family perspectives about how the medical system and our society can best support the long-term health of Black preterm infants.


Consider joining the study if you are:

- The Black caregiver of a former preterm infant 

- Your child was born before 35 weeks gestation and is less than 10 years old now

- Your child was admitted to a Bay Area NICU 


All caregivers who complete an interview will receive a $100 gift card for their time.

Join the study

Support Our Work

As we embrace the spirit of giving this holiday season, we invite you to support PTBi's work of seeking birth justice and donating. Join us in making a difference by donating today.

Donate today


March of Dimes Releases 2023 Report Card

The 2023 March of Dimes Report Card sheds light on maternal and infant health nationwide. Despite efforts, the preterm birth rate remains high, with over 380,000 babies born prematurely in 2022, giving the US a D+ for the second consecutive year. The state of California earned a B-, with a 9.1% preterm birthrate, the same as 2021.

Full report card

New MEND Study Documents Available Now

The MEND study's paper on stakeholder-identified challenges and recommendations for clinician anti-bias training was recently published in Health Equity.


Accompanying the paper are the Policy Report and the Facility IBT Planning Guide, which are now available on our website. Please consider reading and sharing with your network.

MEND documents


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Forward this email to them so they can subscribe.

Get the December Voices for Birth Justice Zoom Background


Spruce up your Zoom game with the December Voices for Birth Justice background featuring Kalisha Goodwin. Learn more about her and other community champions for Voices for Birth Justice.


Download the Zoom background

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