About | IMPROVE

A series of women in various stages of pregnancy alongside text that reads “IMPROVE Initiative Implementing a Maternal health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone”.

More than 700 U.S. women die each year from conditions related to or associated with pregnancy or childbirth, the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations. In addition, more than 50,000 women experience severe maternal morbidity (SMM), life-threatening health problems that are present during labor and delivery that can cause significant short- and long-term health problems for mothers.

The NIH-wide IMPROVE initiative supports research on how to reduce preventable maternal mortality and decrease SMM. Using an integrated approach to understand the factors contributing to maternal mortality, SMM, and maternal morbidity, the IMPROVE initiative will build an evidence base for improved maternal care and outcomes.

This multipronged, innovative research initiative is designed to understand and reduce maternal morbidity and mortality among populations disproportionately affected, including women who live in rural areas with limited access to care.

Initiative Goals

The IMPROVE initiative aims to:

  • Address the foremost causes of maternal mortality in the United States, which include cardiovascular and hypertensive conditions and disorders, mental health conditions, hemorrhage, and infection—as well as significant pregnancy-associated and pregnancy-related health complications, such as diabetes, obesity, and substance use disorders.
  • Identify factors that contribute to differences in maternal health and delays or disruptions in maternal care.
  • Support the development of technologies, tools, devices, and interventions that predict or diagnose risk for maternal morbidity and mortality, reduce preventable causes of maternal deaths, and improve health.
  • Help create tailored, evidence-based maternal health-related solutions for women across the country.

NIH Coordinating Committee for Maternal Morbidity and Mortality (CCM3)

The IMPROVE initiative is an NIH-wide effort coordinated by the CCM3, which is led by NICHD, the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health, and the National Institute of Nursing Research. The following institutes, centers, and offices participate in CCM3 (listed alphabetically):

  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
  • Fogarty International Center
  • National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
  • National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
  • National Eye Institute
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
  • National Human Genome Research Institute
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
  • National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
  • National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
  • National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
  • National Institute of Mental Health
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
  • National Institute of Nursing Research
  • National Institute on Aging
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
  • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse
  • National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
  • NIH Clinical Center
  • Office of the NIH Director
    • All of Us Research Program
    • Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes
    • Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research
    • Office of Disease Prevention
    • Office of Research on Women's Health