Presenter: Rana Jawish (Huntsman Mental Health Institute), Marcela Smid (University of Utah), Christy Schunn (Kansas Infant Death and SIDS Network, Inc.), & Stacey Fletcher (University of Utah)
Date: 10/12/24
Brief Description: Discusses equity considerations in accessing mental health care in the wake of stillbirth.
Keywords/Main Subjects: Mental health care, equity, healthcare access
Slides: View / download (Jawish), View / download (Smid)
Copyright: copyright Rana Jawish, Marcela Smid, Christy Schunn, & Stacey Fletcher ©2024
Rana Jawish
Dr Jawish is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Huntsman Mental Health Institute, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, University of Utah Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. Her clinical interest is in improving women’s mental health and expanding access to mental health care for pregnant women with substance use and mood disorder. Her research advances innovative neuromodulation modalities including Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) for the treatment of perinatal substance use and mood disorder with a specific focus on developing a breakthrough treatment to address the ongoing epidemic of methamphetamine use disorder and to reduce related morbidity and mortality in pregnant women. She is also interested in identifying existing barriers and factors that are facing this underserved, vulnerable, understudied patient population. Dr. Jawish is board-certified in Psychiatry and board-eligible in Addiction Psychiatry with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Marcela Smid
Marcela Smid MD, MA, MS is an Associate Professor and board certified Maternal Fetal Medicine, Complex Family Planning and Addiction Medicine physician at the University of Utah. She is the Director of Perinatal Addiction Services and the medical director of the Substance Use & Pregnancy – Recovery, Addiction, Dependence (SUPeRAD) specialty prenatal clinic, a multi-disciplinary clinic for pregnant and postpartum individuals with substance use disorder. She also serves as the medical director of University of Utah’s OBAirMed and the Chair of the Utah Maternal Mortality Committee. Her research focus is on perinatal addiction, interventions for pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorders, maternal mortality and maternal mental health.
Christy Schunn
Christy S. Schunn, LSCSW, is executive director of the Kansas Infant Death and SIDS Network, Inc. She has a Bachelor of Science in Social Work from Bethel College and a Master of Social Welfare from the University of Kansas. Ms. Schunn is licensed as a Clinical Social Worker in the State of Kansas and a member of the International Society for the Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death (ISPID), and the International Stillbirth Alliance (ISA). She is a board member of the Center for Research on Infant Birth Survival (CRIBS), Emberhope Youthville, past board member of Postpartum Support International Kansas Chapter and is an adjunct social work instructor at Bethel College. She currently provides counseling to those affected by perinatal and infant loss, co-leads the Stillbirth Advocacy Working Group-USA’s (SAWG-USA’s) Mutual Support Workstream and conducts research and development on the KIDS Network Safe Sleep Instructor Certification Program which uses a multi-pronged approach to embed safe sleep with a culturally tailored curriculum for priority populations across the United States.
Stacey Fletcher
Stacey Fletcher is a parent voice representative at the University of Utah. As a clinical trainer for the Utah Pregnancy After Loss Program, Stacey ensures that parent experience plays a key role in developing excellent physical and mental health care. She also is the director of the University of Utah’s Peer Support Program which is under development, president of St. George Share, a volunteer with the International Stillbirth Alliance, and a dedicated stillbirth awareness advocate. On December 12, 2006, Stacey’s son Benjamin was stillborn—with no cause ever found. She has since dedicated her life to helping others who have experienced the same devastating fate. As a peer support specialist and bereavement photographer for 12 years, she has spent many tender hours with families whose lives are forever touched by the untimely death of their baby. Stacey is a storyteller. She has worked professionally as a writer, editor, educator, and publisher, and she is passionate about giving voice to those who may not always be heard. Stacey and her husband Bryan are the busy parents of five living children. Together their family advocates against the racism and disparities often found in underserved and marginalized communities.
