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The Center for Research on Families will host Veronica Barcelona, a public health nurse and perinatal epidemiologist, as part of its annual Tay Gavin Erickson Lecture Series on Tuesday April 1, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. in the Amherst Room on the 10^th floor of the Campus Center.

In her lecture, titled “Race, Racism, and Perinatal Health Inequities,” Barcelona will provide an in-depth exploration of the epidemiology of perinatal health disparities, focusing on the role of race and racism in shaping healthcare outcomes for Indigenous, Native American and Black women.

An assistant professor at Columbia University School of Nursing, Barcelona will present findings from her NIH-funded research on the epigenetic links between multilevel racism and preterm birth, as well as her work utilizing machine learning to examine stigmatizing language in clinical records and its connection to pregnancy-related complications.

She will also provide evidence-based recommendations for clinicians on improving language use in documentation and discuss future research directions to address these systemic inequities. 

Barcelona holds degrees from the University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins University and Tulane University, with postdoctoral training at Yale University. Her research focuses on the mechanisms and risk factors of adverse pregnancy outcomes, with over 65 peer-reviewed publications and numerous awards for excellence in research. 

To register to attend the lecture, complete the form found here. For more questions, contact Gabrielle Hill, CRF events, communications and office manager, at [email protected].