معرفی
Marit L. Bovbjerg, PhD, is an Associate Professor at Oregon State University’s School of Nutrition and Public Health within the College of Health. Her research focuses on improving maternal and neonatal outcomes through evidence-based practices in midwifery and community birth settings, particularly for low-risk populations. She is also an expert in physical activity during pregnancy and postpartum periods, advocating for holistic care approaches.
Affiliations:
- Uplift: A Research and Reproductive Equity Laboratory
- Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) Statistics Project
Research Interests:
Bovbjerg’s work emphasizes reducing over-medicalization in childbirth, advocating for safer, evidence-based practices such as water births and home/birth center births. She has collaborated internationally, including during her Fulbright scholarship at University College Cork, to study maternity care systems in Ireland and the US. Her findings have informed policy changes, such as expanded access to community births in Oregon.
Key Contributions:
Her studies on water birth safety, breech presentation outcomes, and home-to-hospital transfer protocols have challenged myths about birth risks and promoted autonomy for low-risk birthing individuals. Recent work highlights disparities in maternal mortality rates, particularly for Black and Indigenous populations in the US.
Awards & Recognition:
- Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award (2019)
- NIH-funded projects on community birth outcomes
Grants & Lab Work:
Bovbjerg’s Uplift Lab focuses on reproductive equity, leveraging epidemiological methods to assess interventions like midwifery care and physical activity programs. She has pioneered methods for neonatal assessment and breastfeeding duration analysis.
