Ponce Medical School Foundation, through the Ponce Research Institute (PRI), received a $3,507,225 five-year grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. The money will fund Stress Management and Response Training for Prenatal Evaluation and Parenting (SMART-PREP), a study of stress management during pregnancy, maternal health and child development. The research is led by Dr. Mary S. Rodríguez Rabassa, a professor in the School of Behavioral and Neural Sciences at Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) and a PRI researcher.
The clinical trial will recruit 300 pregnant participants, randomly assigned to one of three groups: a mindfulness program for childbirth and parenting, standardized Lamaze prenatal education, or usual prenatal care. The team will assess participants during pregnancy and after delivery, and will follow their babies’ development until 12 months of age. SMART-PREP aims to examine whether the intervention produces changes in maternal health and child development, as well as the possible mechanisms behind those changes.
Ponce Health Sciences University specializes in training professionals in medicine, clinical psychology, biomedical sciences, public health, nursing and dental medicine.