UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative

Our Women's History Month feature this year is on Harriett Jacobs, a pioneer in women's rights. Jacobs was extraordinary woman born into slavery in North Carolina who defied unimaginable odds to reclaim her freedom, along the way, helping countless during the Civil War and Reconstruction. An abolitionist and Women's Suffrage activist, Jacobs was also an author, describing the realities of enslaved women and their struggles for dignity and equality. https://lnkd.in/gV35aEza

Principal Investigator Patience Afulani and the Caring for Providers to Improve Patient Experience team completed training for 46 maternity providers in the Upper East and North East regions of Ghana. The comprehensive education focuses on person-centered maternity care, stress management, bias awareness, teamwork, communication, and emergency clinical responses and has now trained nearly 200 healthcare providers across 20 facilities. https://lnkd.in/dkcCUp33

Bay Area people, the amazing Amy Shareld exhibition at SF MoMA is closing this Sunday, so get in there and see in person her iconic portraits of Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor. https://lnkd.in/gcgKy2te

For all our friends in Altadena: Join the Altadena Chamber of Commerce, City of Pasadena, LA County Department of Economic Opportunity, Small Business Administration (SBA), and other local and state partners for?an in-person application clinic?to help businesses and workers?(INCLUDING CHILD CARE) impacted?by the recent windstorms and wildfires apply for available grants and loans that are expiring soon! Providers will receive one on one assistance to apply for the LA Region Small Business and Worker Relief Fund and the SBA Business Physical Disaster Loans. https://lnkd.in/gjhUQHw2

SisterWeb SF Community Doula Network is offering free, full-spectrum in-person doula training program focused on preparing Black community members in San Francisco to support expecting parents. Centered on Black and Indigenous birthing people, the training includes evidence-based practices with ancestral wisdom, fostering a community-based, holistic approach to birth work. https://lnkd.in/g3QAn5YP

This Sunday is the 8th annual Black Joy Parade and Festival! Sponsored by our friends at Black Infant Health California, the parade includes over 100 participants ranging from classic car clubs and dance troupes to floats. Afterward, enjoy entertainment at two performance stages with musicians, a kid's zone, and a skating rink, plus 100+ local Black vendors offering handmade goods, delicious food, cultural services, and more. https://lnkd.in/dR2ekbG

Featured in a 1930s mural at UCSF that highlights the history of medicine in California, Biddy Mason’s experience as a nurse, expert in herbal medicine, and midwifery gave her valuable medical experience. She delivered hundreds of children and helped the residents of Los Angeles during the smallpox epidemic of 1863 with herbal remedies, risking her own health to help others. https://lnkd.in/gPP8xsnp

Shanell Williams, Director of Community Engagement and Partnerships at the UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative (PTBi), is departing after 10 years to serve as the new Executive Director at the?Rafiki Coalition for Health and Wellness?in San Francisco. While we are sad to see her go, we are excited for Shanell and grateful for all she did at PTBi. https://lnkd.in/ghf8hYp9

Congratulations to Shantay R. Davies-Balch of the BLACK Wellness & Prosperity Center for winning the James Irvine Foundation 2025 Leadership Award! The award honors remarkable Californians and their organizations for addressing critical issues. https://lnkd.in/gdKMdFsM

Tonight at the Academy of Sciences, celebrate BHM with their NightLife: Black Thursday, featuring dance, soulful live music, and a marketplace with 20+ Black-owned local businesses. 21+ and over. https://lnkd.in/gueyKB9N