Neal receives WPP Postdoctoral Grant Award

The Wisconsin Partnership Program recently announced 17 recipients of Postdoctoral Grant Program Awards. Two researchers in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn received awards, which provide career development grants to enhance and expand postdoctoral research, education and professional development at SMPH. Grants are up to $20,000 each over one year.

Melissa Neal, PhD, MPH, is a postdoctoral trainee in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, mentored by Kara Hoppe, DO, PhD, professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Neal received the award for the project Healthcare Experience Assessing Resilience, Toxic Stress and Prenatal Quality of Care (HEARTS-PQC). 

Neal’s project seeks to better understand how to measure resilience, toxic stress and prenatal quality of care. Through clinical and community engagement, this African American/Black health initiative gathers perspectives of birthing people on what supportive, respectful and responsive prenatal care should look like, as well as the barriers and facilitators to assessing these factors in real-world settings.

Congratulations, Dr. Neal!