Ijeoma Uche, a third-year MD and Ph.D. student at UC Davis, is dedicated to improving healthcare through technology and a focus on equity. She is featured on Face to Face With Chancellor May this month.

Driven by a “passion for maternal and fetal health” and a desire for “systemic change,” Uche co-founded Birth By Us, a platform designed to promote clinical equity for mothers across the United States.

“It started out with focus groups with moms where we sat down with them and asked,’We know that you’re experiencing all these different complications during pregnancy and postpartum,what would you like to see happen?,'” uche said. “And with those conversations sprouted birth By Us in a different form.”

Birth By Us aims to help pregnant individuals better understand their health and advocate for themselves, while also assisting clinicians in providing more equitable care. The app integrates patient-centered design with clinical tools to tackle disparities in maternal health outcomes.

“black women are three to four times more likely to die in childbirth than their white counterparts,” Uche said.”And something that Serena Williams even talked about is understanding her body and understanding that ‘I am at high risk of having blood clots’ and people not listening to her.”

Addressing Maternal Health Disparities

Chancellor Gary S. May acknowledges the critical need for equity in healthcare. “There are some equity issues that need to be addressed in healthcare, particularly for maternal healthcare,” May said.

“Black women are three to four times more likely to die in childbirth than their white counterparts.”

Uche credits Dr. Susan Brown and Dr.Jennifer Rosenthal for their mentorship and guidance throughout her academic and entrepreneurial journey.

Learn more about Birth By Us and Ijeoma uche’s future plans.