Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine and CMU Medical Education Partners join national study to advance perinatal mental health care

The Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine at Central Michigan University and CMU Medical Education Partners have been selected as one of 32 clinical sites to participate in an impactful, national research initiative led by the UMass Chan Medical School to improve maternal mental health.

The Pathways to Perinatal Mental Health Equity study is funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and aims to address perinatal mood and anxiety disorders – conditions that affect approximately one in five individuals during pregnancy and the postpartum period.  The multi-site study will evaluate two models of care: (1) a health-system focused approach, which integrates screening, evaluation and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders into prenatal and postpartum care; and (2) a health care-community partnership, which will include the health-system focused approach along with the Peer Support Program developed by Postpartum Support International, which pairs individuals in need with a trained volunteer who has also experienced and fully recovered from a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder.

This study marks the first time CMU has participated as a site for a PCORI-funded study.  By collaborating in this national clinical trial, the Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine and CMU Medical Education Partners will contribute patient-centered evidence to inform scalable models of perinatal mental health care. Neli Ragina, Ph.D., assistant dean of Research, will serve as the principal investigator of the CMU site.

“Participation in this trial reflects CMU’s continued commitment to patient-centered outcomes research, health equity, community-engaged interventions, and evidence-based innovation in maternal and mental health care,” said Ragina.  “We look forward to sharing updates as the study progresses and to the impact this work will have on improving perinatal mental health outcomes locally and nationally.”

The results of this study will help health care systems develop pathways to improve methods of identification, treatment, and support for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. The findings are expected to guide the development and implementation of more effective strategies to support maternal mental health and ultimately improve outcomes for both mothers and their children.

The Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine at Central Michigan University was founded in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, in 2010 and was named by Covenant HealthCare in 2025.  The college will soon be moving to its new home in the CMU MyMichigan Health Medical Education building on the MyMichigan Health campus in Saginaw.