Maternal Mental Health Research Collaborative

Adults and kids walking along path in snow

The MMHRC was established for people with personal or professional experience with maternal mental health conditions and/or substance abuse, who want to engage in research.

Brandeis University researchers partner with the Maternal Mental Health Research Collaborative in this peer-led, mother-centered initiative.

We are guided by a collective vision of a peer-led, mother-centered think tank and research hub where mothers, researchers, providers and other stakeholders work together to co-create research. Our goal is to improve health outcomes by focusing on priorities identified by mothers. We are committed to promoting the participation of mothers in research - in every stage of the research life cycle. Please see the MMHRC website (https://research4moms.com) for more information.

Upcoming Activities

Engaging Mothers with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Our newest project is building an online community of mothers with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and behavioral health conditions. This includes bringing together mothers with IDD, providers and policymakers, and researchers through a five-week Ideas Lab series and one-time Virtual Community Engagement Studios (V-CES). The goal is to build community, identify research and intervention priorities, and advance virtual engagement strategies. We will be developing community engagement training resources for researchers

Please click here to view detailed project information from PCORI.

Co-Design Teams

Our Co-Design Teams engage community experts with personal and/or professional experience with mothers with mental health conditions and/or substance use. These teams are led by researchers who share their interests and concerns, and explore topics such as: 1) community engagement throughout the research life cycle, 2) virtual patient engagement, 3) the info-demic during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 4) digital peer support.

Community Engagement Memos

The MMHRC team is creating Community Engagement Memos summarizing new research questions and approaches. The memos are shared with a wide audience of researchers, healthcare providers, and persons served using our social media platforms. The memo topics are shaped by the themes and recommendations generated in Virtual Community Engagement Studios (V-CES) and our Co-Design Teams.

Virtual Community Engagement Studios (V-CES)

Virtual Community Engagement Studios (V-CES) provide researchers and individuals with personal or professional experience with maternal mental health issues an interactive, efficient, and effective way to engage and provide meaningful input into all phases of research via a virtual platform. Community experts learn about how they can contribute to research and researchers benefit from their input.

Please note: This project is funded through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute® (PCORI®) Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Awards (#8285-BU and #EAIN-00147). The views presented on this website are solely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of PCORI®, its Board of Governors or Methodology Committee.