Wednesday, January 7, 2026 1/7/2026

Prenatal Epigenetics: Trauma and Outcomes of Labor Dysfunction

Award Number: F31NR020847
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NURSING RESEARCH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/18/2023
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/16/2025

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Prenatal Epigenetics: Trauma and Outcomes of Labor Dysfunction - PROJECT SUMMARY The United States spends more on maternity care than any other high-income country yet has rising rates of severe maternal morbidity and mortality. Among other high-income countries, the U.S. ranks as the worst in maternal morbidity and mortality rates. Moreover, there are significant disparities in severe maternal morbidity and mortality, with Black pregnant people in the U.S. being more likely than white people to experience severe maternal morbidity and mortality. Pregnant Black people are also disproportionately impacted by cumulative life trauma, which is a life course social determinant of health (SDoH) strongly associated with poor perinatal outcomes. One largely unexplored link between trauma and poor pregnancy outcomes in Black birthing people is epigenetic changes in physiologic systems that are integral to both labor initiation and parturition and human response to trauma. Among these are the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA-axis), oxytocinergic system, and inflammatory response system function which have all been noted to have changes associated with trauma exposure and play a role in parturition. The purpose of this NRSA fellowship is to utilize an adapted allostatic load model to evaluate the effects of trauma on labor outcomes, through an epigenome wide association study of DNA methylation, and its subsequent association with labor outcomes. We will leverage biologic samples and survey data already being collected from two prospective cohorts (R011NR019254: PI Dr. Nicole Carlson and R01MH115174: PI Dr. Vasiliki Michopoulos) of Black pregnant people living in the same geographic area. We plan to evaluate if cumulative life trauma, as reported in early pregnancy, is associated with labor dysfunction, including long labor duration and unplanned cesarean section. We theorize that trauma- associated epigenetic changes may provide a missing link connecting Black pregnant people’s trauma exposure with labor outcomes, thus providing insight into ways to optimize perinatal care for this population to reduce racial inequities in labor outcomes. This project also includes a comprehensive training plan designed to prepare a nurse-midwife clinician to be an independent research scientist with expertise in epigenetics, trauma, and perinatal disparities research.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = -$136 )
2026	2024	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR NE	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Nursing Research	000	2	11/26/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$216
2026	2024	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR NE	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Nursing Research	001	2	12/19/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$80
														Subtotal = -$136

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $48,974 )
2024	2024	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR NE	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Nursing Research	000	2	7/9/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$48,974
														Subtotal = $48,974

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $47,694 )
2023	2023	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Nursing Research	000	1	8/18/2023	NEW	$47,694
2023	2023	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Nursing Research	001	1	8/18/2023	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $47,694

Grand Total All Awards = $96,532

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Prenatal Epigenetics: Trauma and Outcomes of Labor Dysfunction

Award Number: F31NR020847

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NURSING RESEARCH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/18/2023

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/16/2025

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