Notre Dame Researcher Addresses Global Health Challenges in St. Joseph County

Indiana is in the bottom 10 states for infant mortality with a 2016 infant mortality rate (IMR) of 7.5. This means more than seven children die out of every 1,000 births. Unfortunately, St. Joseph County’s IMR was even higher, with an 8.2 IMR average from 2012 to 2016. To better understand what can be done to decrease this rate, Elizabeth A. McCue, a global health research associate for the Eck Institute for Global Health at the University of Notre Dame, has teamed with the St. Joseph County Health Department to assess local health initiatives and see where they are most effective and how they could be improved.

McCue’s experience with infant health began as a candidate of the Master of Science in Global Health program at the University of Notre Dame. Her capstone project included spending seven weeks in rural health facilities in Uganda, collecting case-specific data about infants who had died during delivery. Through collaboration with Saving Mothers, Giving Life Uganda, she was able to identify several factors that contribute to an exceptionally high rate of stillbirths in a specific region.

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