We are glad you found us! We are a collaborative team of researchers with diverse and complimentary expertise dedicated to expanding the reach of Mothers and Babies to all those who need it.
Our mission is to address postpartum depression by providing brief, affordable intervention to families, communities and systems across the United States. We believe that mental health services and supports should be widely available, easy to access, affordable, non-stigmatizing and effective.
We are dedicated to conducting research studies, creating innovations of Mothers and Babies (MB), and facilitating expansion of MB with a lens towards health equity.
Meet our research team at Northwestern University. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or comments.
Postpartum depression is a common health complication for pregnant women and new mothers, with estimates indicating that 10–19 % of women meet criteria for postpartum depression (Gaynes et al., 2005; O’Hara and McCabe, 2013). The consequences of untreated postpartum depression on maternal morbidity, caregiving, and child development are well-documented (Glover, 2014; Goodman et al., 2011; O’Donnell et al., 2014), indicating a need for evidence-based prevention interventions to reach women most at risk for developing major depression during pregnancy and in the first year after delivery.
Mothers and Babies (MB) has demonstrated its efficacy in both reducing depressive symptoms and preventing the onset of new cases of postpartum depression via multiple randomized controlled trials delivered in group format by a mental health professional (Leis et al., 2011; McFarlane et al., 2017; Muñoz et al., 2007; Tandon et al., 2021; Tandon et al., 2014).
We are committed to improving the lives of parents, children and families through rigorous research addressing perinatal mental health and the dissemination of the Mothers and Babies intervention. This is all made possible by our many community partners and generous sponsors – thank you all.
The Mothers and Babies Program Team is part of The Center for Community Health at Northwestern University‘s Institute for Public Health and Medicine.
