Researching Healthcare Disparities in Women

Dr. Ashley Blount, assistant professor in the Department of Counseling, is a wellness researcher, investigating areas such as Wellness Counseling, Women's Health (Peri/Post Natal), and Athletes and Former Athletes.

Recently, Blount’s research addresses a critical need in our country: healthcare disparities in women during the pregnancy lifecycle.

At the beginning of the pandemic, when the U.S. was experiencing racial justice protests, Blount realized that she had the power to make change in this time of stress and unrest.

"With everything going on in our country, I asked myself, 'What are you doing to support people? Are you making any actionable changes through your research?' I saw some small things in my wellness work, but I realized I wanted to change my research life," explained Blount.

"Everything I was reading said that women underutilize healthcare services, and I decided to focus my work on women's health issues, specifically healthcare disparities in the pregnancy lifecycle. My ultimate purpose is to decrease healthcare disparities for Women of Color, who experience higher inequalities than their White counterparts."

Blount rallied the help of colleague Dr. Charmayne Adams, and in a virtual session about NU Collaboration Initiative Grant funding, they connected with their future research team, colleagues from UNMC: Drs. Ann L. Anderson Berry, Gurudutt N. Pendyala, and Corrine Hanson.

The team recently published a manuscript, Biopsychosocial Factors during the Perinatal Period: Risks, Preventative Factors, and Implications for Healthcare Professionals.

"This research explored perceptions of the healthcare system. We interviewed women who were somewhere in their pregnancy life cycle using a biopsychosocial model. We wanted to know if their physical, psychological, and social wellness was where it needs to be for functioning. For example, do they have a support system? How is their mental wellness?" said Blount.

"This manuscript will inform our first study, and our goal is to help improve the system so women can have increased access to quality reproductive healthcare, to health insurance, to patient-centered providers and culturally sensitive care."

Blount is also working on placing counselors directly into medical settings to promote prevention-based care and for counselors to work directly with clients within hospital and clinic settings to decrease risk factors.

For their study, the team will use the biopsychosocial model to assess different levels of wellness in women who delivered babies at UNMC using data collected from the Department of Pediatrics.

"We will look at a biological component, and assess nutrition. We will look at a psychological component and assess peri- and postpartum depression. We’re also finding themes that arose during COVID, to see if there differences pre- and post-COVID. Are their depression levels higher or lower? Is their nutrition worse or better? And then we'll pull in themes on their psychological wellbeing."

For this emerging area of research, Blount received the Garry R. Walz Trailblazer Award in July.

Follow Dr. Ashley Blount on Instagram: @docblount

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GRANT FUNDING

$40,000 | UNO Collaboration Initiative
Omega 3 Fatty Acid: Potential for mitigation of neurodevelopmental outcomes from in utero opioid exposure in a chronic stress rat model

$10,000 | UCRCA
Healthcare disparities in women: a phenomenological investigation focusing on Women of Color (WOC)

$7,500 | UNO Collaboration Initiative
Healthcare disparities and experience of stressors in women during their pregnancy lifecycle

RESEARCH COLLABORATORS

Dr. Ashley Blount
Assistant Professor, UNO Department of Counseling

Dr. Abby Bjornsen-Ramig
Associate Professor, UNO Department of Counseling

Dr. Charmayne Adams
Assistant Professor, UNO Department of Counseling

Dr. Ann L. Anderson-Berry
Professor, UNMC Division of Neonatology

Dr. Corrine Hanson Professor,
UNMC Medical Nutrition Education Division

Dr. Gurudutt N. Pendyala
Associate Professor, UNMC Department of Anesthesiology

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_{This story appeared in the most recent issue of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences Annual Report.}