Presenter: Tsegaselassie Workalemahu (University of Utah Health), Naomi Riches (University of Utah Health), & Sarah Lopez (University of Utah Health)
Date: 10/12/24
Brief Description: Discusses updates from stillbirth equity research.
Keywords/Main Subjects: Equity, research, from the field
Slides: View / download
Copyright: copyright Tsegaselassie Workalemahu, Naomi Riches, & Sarah Lopez ©2024
Tsegaselassie Workalemahu
Dr. Workalemahu is a genetic epidemiology researcher in the Stillbirth Research Program, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Utah Health, investigating causes of unexplained obstetric complications. He investigates the genetic factors related to pregnancy loss, stillbirth and other obstetric complications that are often linked with adverse health outcomes over the lifespan. One of Dr. Workalemahu’s studies is aimed at determining specific genetic mutations that cause pregnancy loss by conducting whole genome sequencing analysis of DNA from families. His other research interests include investigating placental epigenetic factors and genetics of complex chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
Naomi Riches
Naomi O. Riches is a Research Assistant Professor in the University of Utah Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a member of its Stillbirth Research Program and placenta insufficiency working group. Her research is centered around identifying and addressing the needs of stillbirth parents concerning their postmortem decision. Outside of her qualitative research interests on shared decision-making, Dr. Riches has experience in informatics, exposure science, and social determinants of health research. She received her Doctorate in Occupational and Environmental Health and completed a Postdoctoral fellowship in Biomedical Informatics. Dr. Riches is an active member of the Center of Excellence in Exposure Health Informatics (CEEHI) and the NIH National Covid Cohort Collaborative (N3C) Social Determinants of Health working group. Additionally, she is examining the impact of air pollution, climate change, and social determinants of health on adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as stillbirth.
Sarah Lopez
Sarah is an experienced Senior Clinical Research Coordinator in the Stillbirth Research Program, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Utah Health with a history of working in the hospital and healthcare industry, supervisory leadership, novel implementation of new procedures, large-scale project management, and data analytics to improve operations and outcomes in healthcare. Immense interest in equity and health disparities has been a career-long interest, but was heightened during her Masters in Healthcare Administration and Public Health. Working in Pregnancy Loss and Stillbirth research for six years has increased her passion to help bridge gaps in healthcare and increase quality access for all individuals.
