Research | UNC Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology

Community-Based Research Initiatives

Investigation that begins with listening — and continues with measurable impact alongside our communities at home and abroad.

Global Community Engagement and Research

Homabay County- NIH Funded Research

Members of Dr. Mungo’s UNC–Kenya research team together with colleagues in front of the Victoria Biomedical Research Institute (VIBRI). — Photo: Members of Dr. Mungo’s UNC–Kenya research team together with colleagues from the Victoria Biomedical Research Institute (VIBRI).

In January 2026, Dr. Chemtai Mungo’s Kenya-based research team traveled to Homabay County, Kenya, to meet with leadership from Matata Hospital and colleagues from the Victoria Biomedical Research Institute (VIBRI), a key local partner. The visit was part of ongoing community engagement efforts supporting Dr. Mungo’s NIH-funded research on topical therapies for HPV and cervical precancer treatment. Through these discussions, the team strengthened partnerships with local health care leaders, aligned on shared priorities, and reinforced a commitment to advancing cervical cancer prevention through community-centered research and sustained collaboration.

Kisumu County- Community Sensitization

Members of the Kenya Team smiling in a straight line at an upcoming NIH-funded clinical trial — Members of Dr. Mungo’s UNC-Kenya team in collaboration with Maseno University, pictured with Kisumu County government leadership. From left: Ms. Sella Awour, Cervical Cancer Prevention Lead; fifth from left: Mr. Fred Olouch, County Director of Public Health, Kisumu County.

On April 1, 2026, Dr. Chemtai Mungo’s Kenya-based research team convened a sensitization meeting with local health care workers in Kisumu County, Kenya, to introduce an upcoming NIH-funded clinical trial evaluating 5-fluorouracil cream for HPV clearance among women living with HIV. The meeting engaged county stakeholders, local partners and frontline providers in preparation for trial activation, while supporting ongoing cervical cancer prevention, screening, treatment and referral services in the region.

These discussions strengthened provider capacity, fostered collaboration and identified system and communication gaps that can be addressed through locally driven solutions aligned with World Health Organization cervical cancer elimination goals.

Community-Engaged Research in North America

ACHIEVE-

In 2025, ACHIEVE nurse coordinators identified a gap in coordination between EMS and clinic providers that affected the implementation of the hypertension bundle. This barrier led to a collaboration between two projects—ACHIEVE and the Perinatal Nurse Champion Project housed in the UNC-CH Collaborative for Maternal and Infant Health (CMIH). This partnership was made possible in large part through the leadership of Kimberly Harper, MSN, RN, MHA, whose dual roles as a Co-Investigator on ACHIEVE and on multiple CMIH projects positioned her to connect teams, align priorities, and move the work forward. ACHIEVE nurse coordinators partnered with the Perinatal Nurse Champion Project to support implementation of the OB emergency training for EMS providers in Alamance County, home to two Cohort 1 ACHIEVE clinics. The team was able to train approximately 80 EMTs and support staff! The training was then piloted in four other counties across North Carolina.

As a result of this collaboration, EMS in several counties updated policies and procedures to improve maternal care. This work has generated a statewide ripple effect, including enhancing the content of an EMS OB emergency training toolkit, dissemination through professional conferences, and ongoing collaboration with the American Heart Association to expand access through an online module for rural obstetric care settings. Over the next few months EMS in Durham County, the location of five ACHIEVE clinics across Cohorts 2 and 3, will be engaged to plan OB emergency training for their EMTs and support staff. This collaborative work will be presented at the NC Public Health Conference (March 2026), the Reciprocal Innovations to Improve Cardiovascular Care in Rural America (Rural PRO-CARE) Health Equity Research Network (April 2026), and the NC EMS Expo (May 2026). These efforts demonstrate the power of cross-project collaboration in improving maternal health outcomes statewide.

ACURE4Moms-Equity-Centered Research

Dr. Rachel Urrutia and Christina Yongue pose for a selfie at a baby shower

Dr. Rachel Urrutia and Christina Yongue represented the ACURE4Moms study at the “Ready to Pop” Community Baby Shower at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, on June 21, 2025. Dr. Urrutia serves as co-principal investigator of the study, and Ms. Yongue is co-chair of its Stakeholder Advisory Board Leading with Equity (STABLE). The event provided an opportunity to engage community members and share information about the study’s goals and ongoing research activities.

BELIEVE: Advancing Black Maternal Health Through Community-Engaged Research

Alsion Stuebe pictured taking a selfie in downtown raleigh The BELIEVE project is guided by the core tenets of being Seen, Heard and Valued, with a strong commitment to meaningful community engagement. This work has been advanced through a community-informed curriculum shaped by the voices and experiences of those it serves, as well as events designed to foster learning, connection and belonging.

A woman pictured supporting her sorority with a hand gesture, in front of a banner that reads "Inspiring Futures Summit" — Inspiring Futures Summit

A key example is the Inspiring Futures Summit, hosted by the Community Engagement Core of the P3 EQUATE Network and led by North Carolina A&T State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Summit brings together students, professionals and thought leaders to advance maternal and child health through innovation, collaboration and solutions-driven approaches.

Community Partnered Research

Dr. Kristin Tully contributes to multiple community-engaged research efforts focused on improving maternal and infant health outcomes. She co-leads an American Heart Association–funded study on access to Medicaid-covered postpartum services in partnership with Dr. Meredith Smith of Queen’s Village.

She also collaborates with the National Diaper Bank Network, contributing to multiple peer-reviewed publications with Dr. Kelley Massengale, and represents the UNC Collaborative for Maternal and Infant Health to the National Quality Forum. In addition, she co-leads a funded NC TraCS initiative with Dr. Kori Flower to accelerate research into practice across UNC Health.

Thriving Hearts

Alison Stuebe pictured for Thriving Hearts event, smiling with a shirt that reads "listen to black mothers" Dr. Alison Stuebe works with Thriving Hearts, a local health department–led program focused on creating conditions for pregnant women and mothers in North Carolina to not only survive pregnancy, but thrive. The initiative aims to reduce rates of high blood pressure in pregnancy across 10 counties through community-informed approaches that support prevention, care and long-term outcomes. Dr. Kristin Tully is an investigator and co-lead on the PCORI-funded Thriving Hearts project, contributing to the development and implementation of this community-level intervention in partnership with the Orange County Health Department.