This fall, the Wallace Center hosted its Fall 2025 Open House, highlighting ongoing research in maternal, child, and adolescent health from Wallace-affiliated students and fellows.
The event featured presentations from Wallace Fellow Mounika Parimi and MPH student researchers Samantha Tapia and Noemi Franco.
Mounika presented her work on matrescence, reframing the transition to motherhood as a critical and sensitive period within the maternal and child health life course. Her research highlights the biological, psychosocial, and structural changes experienced during this transition, and calls for a more comprehensive approach to supporting maternal well-being beyond the immediate postpartum period.
Samantha and Noemi shared findings from their evaluation of the Spanish Centering program at Alameda Health System, a group prenatal care model designed for Spanish-speaking communities. Their work highlighted the importance of culturally concordant care, community support, and language-accessible services in improving maternal health.