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Call for papers - Inequalities in maternal and perinatal outcomes

Guest Editors

Erika M. Edwards, PhD, MPH, University of Vermont, USA
Shuby Puthussery, MSW, MSc, PhD, University of Bedfordshire, UK

Submission Status: Open   |   Submission Deadline: 4 March 2025

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth is calling for submissions to our Collection on Inequalities in maternal and perinatal outcomes. 

This Collection aims to elucidate and address the disparities in maternal and perinatal outcomes among globally marginalized populations. Timely, high-quality, respectful care is crucial for positive pregnancy and birth outcomes, but improvements in maternal healthcare have not been universally applied, leading to disparities across racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, geographic, age, and physical dimensions. Understanding these disparities is essential for informing targeted interventions and policies to promote equity in maternal and perinatal health.

New Content ItemThis Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Erika M. Edwards, PhD, MPH, University of Vermont, USA

Erika Edwards is a Research Associate Professor in Statistics and Pediatrics at the University of Vermont, and Chief Scientific Officer and Director of Data Science at Vermont Oxford Network, a voluntary worldwide collaboration of health care professionals dedicated to improving the quality, safety, and value of care for newborns and their families. Her research focuses on quality of care, outcomes, utilization, and disparities during the neonatal care period, and particularly in neonatal intensive care. She has been an Editorial Board Member of BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth since 2022.

Shuby Puthussery, MSW, MSc, PhD, University of Bedfordshire, UK

Dr Shuby Puthussery is a Reader in Maternal & Child Health and Director of the Maternal and Child Health Research Center at the University of Bedfordshire, UK. Her academic identity, both national and international, is closely aligned with applied research that draws from different disciplines, on the health needs, care experiences and health outcomes for mothers, babies, and families, especially those who experience biological and social vulnerabilities. Her research has spanned across different countries (UK, India, Nigeria, Taiwan) and population groups, such as migrant and ethnic minority mothers, babies born preterm and/ or with low birth weight, mothers and children at risk of malnutrition, obesity or overweight and mothers with specific impairments or disabilities. Her research has directly impacted upon policy and practice and have informed the development of services and interventions for mothers and babies locally, nationally and globally. She has authored more than 100 publications including peer reviewed journal articles, commissioned reports and online learning resources.

About the Collection

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth is calling for submissions to our Collection on Inequalities in maternal and perinatal outcomes. 

Timely, high-quality, respectful care is crucial to ensure positive pregnancy and birth outcomes for all mothers and babies.  While in some regions and populations improvements in maternal healthcare have led to lower rates of complications and better outcomes, these improvements have not been universally applied, leading to disparities in maternal and perinatal outcomes. These disparities manifest across various dimensions, including racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, geographic, age, and physical barriers in access to optimal care. Understanding the extent and effects of these disparities within the variety of affected populations is crucial for informing targeted interventions and policies to promote equity in maternal and perinatal health. 

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth is launching a new Collection, Inequalities in maternal and perinatal outcomes, to elucidate and address the disparities in maternal and perinatal outcomes among globally marginalized populations. The Collection invites researchers and clinicians in fields including obstetrics, maternal-fetal medicine, midwifery, neonatology, public health, sociology and epidemiology to contribute research that explores topics including, but not limited to, socioeconomic inequalities in access to antenatal care and obstetric services, racial and ethnic disparities in maternal and infant mortality rates, cultural factors influencing maternal health outcomes, geographic disparities in perinatal care provision, and the impact of systemic discrimination on maternal and infant health outcomes. 

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being.

Image credit: © monkeybusinessimages / Getty Images / iStock

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Inequalities in maternal and perinatal outcomes" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.