Martha Wingate

Martha Wingate is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Organization at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Public Health. She holds concurrent appointments as Senior Scientist in multiple UAB medical centers, including the Center for Clinical and Translational Science and the Minority Health & Research Center. Her research focuses on maternal and child health (MCH), maternal morbidity/mortality, fetal and infant mortality, and health policy. She leads initiatives such as the Alabama Maternal Health Innovation Program and serves as Executive Director of the Alabama Perinatal Quality Collaborative (ALPQC), bridging public health and clinical care systems to improve outcomes for MCH populations.

Dr. Wingate holds a Doctor of Public Health (2004) and Master of Public Health (2000) from UAB, and a Bachelor's in Biology from Birmingham-Southern College (1998). She teaches courses in public health systems, leadership, and perinatal health issues. Her professional activities include roles in national task forces (e.g., HRSA MCH Leadership Competencies workgroup), journal reviewing, and community service in maternal health advocacy.

Key awards include the UAB Graduate Dean's Excellence in Mentorship (2017) and Outstanding Public Health Service Award (2016). Her research emphasizes racial disparities in maternal health, leveraging quality improvement methodologies to address systemic inequities. Recent work explores telehealth barriers, legal impacts on healthcare communication, and geographic disparities in cardiac outcomes during pregnancy.