Maternal-Fetal Health Awareness to Augusta University

By Amy Zhou | News Writer

The Endowment for Maternal-Fetal Health visited Augusta University’s Summerville and Health Sciences campuses on Sept. 24–25 to raise awareness about the maternal-fetal health crisis in the United States. The organization displayed posters illustrating fetal development as part of its outreach.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 80% of birth defects, pregnancy complications, and adverse pregnancy outcomes are preventable through education.

Gregg Cunningham, a member of the Endowment and a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, is working to bring that message to college campuses.

“The less people know about prenatal development, the more vulnerable they are to adverse pregnancy outcomes,” Cunningham said.

The Endowment for Maternal-Fetal Health aims to make education on the topic more accessible to a wide audience. As part of its programming, the group offers teaching tools for young children, including puzzles and coloring books featuring illustrations of embryos and fetuses.

“There’s a correlation between what people know about prenatal development and their ability to successfully prosecute a pregnancy,” Cunningham said.

A 2021 study conducted by Ipsos found that fewer than 25% of Americans could correctly answer the majority of questions related to basic prenatal development.

Cunningham attributes this knowledge gap to inadequate education.

“Our sex ed courses at the high school and middle school levels are awful,” he said. “They’ve been politicized, and everybody’s afraid to say the wrong thing.”

Before arriving at Augusta University, the Endowment made a stop at the University of Georgia, where some students initially asked if the display was connected to abortion.

“The word abortion doesn’t appear anywhere here,” Cunningham said. “It’s about maternal-fetal health.”

TV presentation of fetal development on the Health Sciences Campus

Cunningham explained common precautions during pregnancy, advising against alcohol consumption, smoking, and drug use. He also noted that pre-existing conditions in expectant mothers — such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders — can be further complicated by pregnancy.

“But people don’t know this,” Cunningham said. “Birth defects create lifelong disabilities, and this affects the whole health care system.”

Cunningham said he was particularly interested in visiting Augusta University because of its connection to the Medical College of Georgia.

“I would like to get what’s sometimes called a grand round at the medical school,” he said.

Grand rounds are educational conferences held in medical schools and hospitals, where physicians, residents, and students present and discuss clinical cases, new research, and developments in medical care.

Cunningham emphasized the importance of educating future medical professionals.

“Health care professionals will have patients who are going to be dealing with these issues,” he said. “If they don’t understand these issues themselves, they’re not going to be able to care for their patients as effectively as they would.”

Looking ahead, Cunningham said he hopes to collaborate with medical schools like the Medical College of Georgia to raise awareness about maternal-fetal health.

“We don’t know anybody here, but when people walk by, they stop and ask about us,” he said. “You have to start somewhere.”

Contact Amy Zhou at amyzhou@augusta.edu