Overview
We study:
- Patient navigation as a tool to improve health during and after pregnancy
- Digital health technology to support health during and after pregnancy
- Interventions to improve outcomes for pregnant people affected by diabetes
- Social and behavioral interventions to prevent HIV during pregnancy and improve health for pregnant people living with HIV
- Implementation science strategies to promote equity and quality
- Obstetric health equity-focused topics, including understanding social determinants of health during pregnancy
- Contributions of obstetrics to the opioid epidemic
- Optimization of pain management in the postpartum period
Major Projects
Navigating New Motherhood
nnm2@northwestern.edu
SweetMama
sweetmama@northwestern.edu
SWEET
sweetstudy@northwestern.edu
The Postpartum Pain Experience
nnm2@northwestern.edu
MASH
thanujasuram2023@u.northwestern.edu
Areas of Focus
Collaborative Work
The Yee Lab collaborates with other investigators at Northwestern and beyond to work on obstetrics-focused clinical and public health research. Contact the lab for more information regarding collaboration.
We collaborate on a variety of projects, including:
nuMOM2b Heart Health Study – “a prospective follow-up study of the women enrolled to nuMoM2b through interval contacts and in-person study visits” to better define the relation between outcomes of pregnancy and long-term cardiovascular health of women.
Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) – “The goal of the Environmental influences on Child Health outcomes (ECHO) Program is to understand the effects of a broad range of early environmental influences on child health and development. ECHO is dedicated to both learning what factors affect child health and to finding ways to enhance it.”
Glycemic Observation and Metabolic Outcomes in Mothers and Offspring Study (GO MOMS) – GO MOMs researchers want to find a better way to detect GDM, so that moms can get the care they need and their babies can be healthy. We are using a combination of methods to test glucose during pregnancy, lab measures of maternal metabolism, and baby weight after birth.
The Health Outcomes around Pregnancy and Exposure to HIV/ARVs (HOPE) – “explores reproductive health choices, including pregnancy, and overall health outcomes, including reproductive health outcomes. HOPE provides the opportunity to inform future advancements for women living with HIV and their families.”
The Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS) – “a longitudinal cohort study investigating the long-term effects of HIV infection and ARV (antiretroviral) medications in children and young adults who were born with HIV or born exposed to HIV.”
International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials (IMPAACT) Network – a research network “committed to conducting high quality clinical trials that will advance the prevention and treatment of HIV and its complications for infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant/postpartum women globally.”
The Healthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study – this study aims “to learn about children’s growth, thinking, behaviors, emotions, social interactions, and brain development in the early years of life, to understand what experiences and environments may help or harm the child’s growth, and to create better care for future generations of children and families.”
Vaccination in Pregnancy – “We plan to interview pregnant WLHIV and HIV-negative women to understand what vaccine-related barriers may exist regarding uptake of a SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and Tdap vaccination in pregnancy and postpartum.”
Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network – a research network which “focuses on clinical questions in maternal fetal medicine and obstetrics, particularly with respect to the continuing problem of preterm birth.”
- The RECOVER Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) Pediatric Cohort Study – “a combined retrospective and prospective, longitudinal, observational meta-cohort of individuals ages newborn-25 years who will enter the cohort with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection at varying stages before and after infection. Individuals with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection and with or without PASC symptoms will be followed to identify risk factors and occurrence of PASC.
- Pessary and Progesterone for Preterm Prevention in Twin Gestation with a Short Cervix (PROSPECT) – “a randomized trial of 630 women evaluating the use of micronized vaginal progesterone or pessary versus control (placebo) to prevent early preterm birth in women carrying twins and with a cervical length of less than 30 millimeters.”
- Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) for Sleep Apnea in Pregnancy (SLEEP) – “a randomized trial of 1,500 women to assess whether treatment of sleep disordered breathing with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in pregnancy reduces the rate of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.”
The Founders’ 400/Chicago Perinatal Origins of Disease (CPOD) Research Initiative – In this longitudinal prospective cohort of 500 mother-child dyads from the Chicago community, including 400 Black and Brown participant dyads from the Chicago community, we will collect comprehensive longitudinal social, environmental, and medical data alongside environmental and biological samples from early pregnancy through two years of life to assess the association of the following exposures with maternal, neonatal, and early childhood health outcomes. This project was established with a commitment to ensure diverse inclusion of participants in research as well as to ensure study implementation and methodology aligns with community input.