Restoring equity to measuring and preventing perinatal intimate partner violence (Remap-IPV)

Project Summary Maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States (US) is driven by health disparities along axes of race, poverty, disability, socio-economic and sexual gender minority status. Such structural inequities also influence career choices of underrepresented early-stage investigators, who may pragmatically avoid studying health

conditions that are hard to measure or difficult to fund. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is one such ethically and logistically complex condition. Perinatal IPV has marked effects on incident hypertension, common mental disorders, obstetric complications, and adverse birth outcomes. IPV was present in 57% of pregnancy-

associated homicides, and homicide is now the leading cause of US maternal death. Despite these preventable deaths and years lost to disability, perinatal IPV remains underexamined in observational, interventional, and population-based studies. Training a broad spectrum of early-stage investigators on measurement rigor and

ethical practice has strong potential to narrow this evidence gap. “Restoring equity to measuring and preventing perinatal intimate partner violence” (Remap-IPV) is a comprehensive, hybrid cohort training with tailored mentorship. The training approach uses constructivist, adult learning techniques to facilitate dialogue and skills application. Trainees are matched with established IPV

investigators to co-produce a peer-reviewed manuscript or specific aims and outline for a research proposal. Throughout the 18-month traineeship, Remap-IPV will build skills in ethical measurement of perinatal IPV and extend the professional network of both new and established faculty in this field. The project leverages the

resources of two leading public universities: University of North Carolina and University of California, San Diego. Our team of 20 core faculty have a demonstrated commitment to mentoring excellence and expertise in IPV assessment across various disciplines: public health, nursing, medical ethics, obstetrics, clinical forensics,

psychology, psychiatry, social epidemiology, criminology, sociology, and health economics. The longevity and scalability of the Remap-IPV training will be steered by a Translational Impact Group consisting of experts in educational design, innovation, maternal health, and community engagement. The Remap-IPV

training model will be replicable for future cohorts and through a freely-licensed online curriculum that includes comprehensive lectures, skill-development activities, mentorship approaches, and well-defined learning objectives. Remap-IPV is designed to lay a strong foundation for ESIs in methodological rigor, ethical

considerations, and scientific perseverance necessary to conduct IPV research. This program will contribute to the NIH IMPROVE initiative's aim to promote diversity within the next generation of maternal health scientists and reduce preventable maternal deaths.