Black women in the U.S. routinely experience poor maternal health outcomes, including disproportionately high rates of death related to pregnancy or childbirth, irrespective of income and education levels. During Black Maternal Health week, EPI's Dara Mendez and Rep. Morgan Cephas will speak as part of the Adagio Health Better Outcomes Speaker Series, which furthers engagement and advocacy around issues that have taken on new importance during the COVID-19 pandemic: food insecurity, Black maternal health, behavioral health, and racial health disparities. 

Mendez is assistant professor and interim director of the Center for Health Equity and a member of the Infant Mortality Collaborative for Allegheny County and the Pennsylvania Maternal Mortality Review Committee. 

Cephas (D-Philadelphia) is chairwoman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus Subcommittee on Women and Girls of Color.