College of Public Health Faculty, Students Attend Arkansas Birthing Project Conference
| The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health has a strong rapport with the Arkansas Birthing Project.
That partnership was on full display during the organization’s 10th annual conference on Sept. 26 at The Watershed in Little Rock. College of Public Health students, staff, and faculty attended and volunteered at the event.
“We enjoy having UAMS as a partner working with us, supporting the women and children we work with,” said Zenobia Harris, DNP, MPH, executive director of the Arkansas Birthing Project.
Harris’ organization specializes in providing mentorship for pregnant women. It also trains community volunteers on how to provide support for women who are pregnant.
The Arkansas Birthing Project uses guidance provided by trustworthy, experienced mothers to help pregnant women and new moms during the first year of their child’s life.
The College of Public Health’s Arkansas Prevention Research Center (PRC) for Women’s Health is among the entities that work with the Arkansas Birthing Project. For the conference, the center, which brings together researchers, providers, and communities to improve women’s health during and after pregnancy, provided gift bags complete with infant items and information pamphlets.
“With the PRC, we’ve had some amazing opportunities to work together because of its focus on community,” Harris said. “That’s very important. Community involvement and community empowerment are important. The PRC has a great handle on that. The Arkansas Birthing Project feels respected, strengthened, and included when working with them.”
Additionally, Keneshia Bryant-Moore, Ph.D., RN, professor in the College of Public Health’s Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, led a drum meditation session to open the event. She also gave a hypertension screening grant presentation during the conference.
Students from the college’s MPH and doctoral programs also attended the event.
Nandita Monika, Esther Par, Alexandria Morgan, and Gabriel Ezenri are all taking Bryant-Moore’s “Introduction to Maternal and Child Health” course. Volunteering at the conference was a requirement for the course’s service-learning project.
“It was a good opportunity to actually see and learn more about what’s going on in the community,” Par said. “In the classroom, we work a lot with secondary data. We don’t get to see how the people in the community are doing and what kind of opportunities they have available to them. Attending the conference and seeing things firsthand opened my eyes and helped me see beyond just the data we study.”
The Arkansas Prevention Research Center (PRC) for Women’s Health, donated several items the 2026 Arkansas Birthing Project Conference.
Monika enjoyed how the conference became a learning opportunity for her beyond a book or lecture.
“Being able to see what we’ve studied and researched up close and personal makes a big difference in how we comprehend what we’re studying,” she said. “Also, it was a great opportunity to get involved with, and volunteer in the community.
“I’m doing my research in maternal and child health, so it was a great chance for me to see how people actually move through life and how they deal with maternal and child health.”
Morgan praised the Arkansas Birthing Project for how its conference created a supportive, positive space for women to get information that will help them physically, emotionally, and mentally.
“Helping with the Arkansas Birthing Project gave me an opportunity to engage directly with mothers and families to better understand some of the challenges they face during pregnancy and also after giving birth,” she said. “It reinforced the importance of community-based support, education and overall access to resources for improving maternal and infant health outcomes. I love how the conference focused on the things that relate to your inner beauty as well. It’s a great reminder of how women should recognize their strength, confidence, and value, especially throughout motherhood.”
Harris is adamant that Arkansas’ maternal health groups need to work as a cohesive unit. For that reason, she appreciates the Birthing Project’s partnership with UAMS.
“All of us are doing different things that help women and mothers,” she said. “It would be rich for a woman to have a connection to all the resources available to help make her pregnancy journey and outcome positive. That’s why it’s important for us to network and collaborate with anyone who’s working in the maternal health space.”