While the United States is one of the richest developed countries, maternal mortality rates rank as one of the highest among countries with similar economic or industrial advancements in comparison. This disparity is prominent when examined through a racial equity lens.

This talk addresses strategies for empowering Black mothers and birthing people through mobilizing voices and connecting community leaders around the crisis of maternal mortality to ignite meaningful change. Christine Ivery is the Assistant Director of Public Health Programs at the Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative (SNJPC) and Adjunct Professor at La Salle University. She is dedicated to addressing and mitigating issues of Black infant and maternal mortality. Her passion is to help all walks of life through disease and disparity prevention, as well as to make an impact in the communities she serves. She secures implementation of the program objectives, leads teams to
successful program execution and cultivates networks with maternal healthcare stakeholders to effectively address barriers that affect birth outcomes.

Christine serves as Chair of Sisters in Public Health Philadelphia Chapter, Pastimmediate Chair of the Public Health Young Leaders Association (PHYLA) in Philadelphia, and Community Health Planning
and Policy Development (CHPPD) Section Counselor for the American Public Health Association (APHA). She is a proud member of the American Public Health Association, Philadelphia’s Section
on Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Drexel University Center for Black Culture (CBC) Advisory Board, the Greater Philadelphia Norfolk State Alumni Chapter, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
Incorporated.

Christine holds a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science Kinesiotherapy from Norfolk State University, a Master's degree from Drexel University in Public Health, and Health Education Specialist Certification (CHES). This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx