Maternal Health Task Force
The Maternal Health Task Force strives to create a strong, well-informed and collaborative community of individuals focused on ending preventable maternal mortality and morbidity worldwide.
677 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
About
The Maternal Health Task Force (MHTF) at the Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health (MCH) continues and builds on the tradition of the MHTF in ensuring that front-line maternal health workers, policymakers, researchers, and advocates across the world have access to the most current and reliable evidence in the field.
Our vision for MHTF is a space that not only identifies and shares promising research, but serves as a catalyst for research improvement and innovation. In order to reach the Sustainable Development Goal 3 target to reduce maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 births we must invest heavily in research to ensure we are asking the right questions and prioritizing the right interventions.
Ongoing support for the MHTF at the Center of Excellence in MCH comes from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the U.S. Department of Human Services (HHS) through the Training Grant in Maternal and Child Health.
For more information, please contact us.
Leadership Board
Henning Tiemeier, MA, MD, PhD, is Professor of Social and Behavioral Science and the Sumner and Esther Feldberg Chair of Maternal and Child Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Tiemeier received both his medical and sociological degree from the University of Bonn, Germany, and his PhD from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Since 2018, he leads the Maternal and Child Center of Excellence at Harvard Chan. As one of just 13 HRSA-funded Centers of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health in the United States, the center trains future leaders in the field. See full bio>>
Whitney completed her Master’s of Science in Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in reproductive, perinatal and pediatric epidemiology. Her thesis focused on COVID-19 pharmacotherapy utilization patterns in a large, international cohort of pregnant women. Prior to joining the Maternal Health Task Force, Whitney studied Public Health at Brigham Young University with a minor in Chinese, during which she conducted a program evaluation of the Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO) program rollout in Hebei, China, and worked in data analysis in the Bariatric Surgery Department at Jiangsu Provincial Hospital in Nanjing, China. Her research interests lie at the intersection of pregnancy and pharmacoepidemiology, guided in part by her own experiences as a mother.
Team
Daria is a current Master of Science candidate in Global Health and Populations Studies at Harvard School T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Daria is interested in advancing global health equity by integrating climate resilience, storytelling, and patient experiences to improve health outcomes and fostering community-driven solutions in the field of maternal and child health. Daria has previously served as one of the Directors at Medical Herstory, a nonprofit dedicated to eliminating sexism, shame, and stigma from women’s healthcare experiences. As the 2024-2025 recipient of the Maternal and Child Health Leadership Lab Fellowship, Daria is currently working with SteelSky Ventures on a project looking at better understanding and improving funding opportunities for health startups focused on improving women’s and child health.