"The Birth Plan Of A Black Woman" - Ashley Stoney

For black women, dying of childbirth transcends socioeconomic factors. Doctors may reflexively categorize educated, middle-class or affluent Black women as low risk and overlook red flags. This is precisely what we saw happen to Serena Williams, as she recounts having to push for critical, life-saving treatment after giving birth. Harrowing statistics have stood out recently. Cities where housing is still very segregated - such as Washington, D.C. and New York City - have some of the nation's widest racial disparities for maternal health. One study co-authored by Elizabeth Howell, MD, MPP, professor of population health science and policy, obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science, and director of the Women's Health Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, suggests that Black women are more likely to deliver in lower-quality hospitals. Several factors, including genetic predispositions, chronic stress, racial bias and structural barriers to health care impact the stark disparity in maternal deaths by race in this country.

• Elizabeth Howell, MD, MPP, Professor, Population Health Science and Policy, Psychiatry, Schizophrenia, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Associate Dean, Academic Development, Director, Women's Health Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

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