PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy Applauds NIH’s $37M Stillbirth Research Consortium as a Landmark Step Toward Prevention

With one in every 170 U.S. pregnancies ending in stillbirth, new NIH funding signals a historic shift toward prevention and equity in maternal health

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, October 15, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy today praised the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for launching the Stillbirth Research Consortium, a $37 million, five-year federal initiative aimed at reducing preventable stillbirths across the United States.

The new consortium brings together leading research institutions — including the University of California San Diego, Columbia University, RTI International (North Carolina), the University of Utah’s Stillbirth Research Center led by Dr. Robert Silver, and Oregon Health & Science University’s NOURISH Research Center led by Dr. Karen Gibbins and Dr. Leslie Myatt.

According to NIH, more than 60% of the nearly 24,000 stillbirths that occur each year in the U.S. remain unexplained. Health officials note that stillbirth disproportionately affects Black, Native American, and Alaska Native women, and that women who experience one stillbirth are nearly five times more likely to face another. Overall, one in every 160 U.S. deliveries ends in stillbirth — and roughly 40% of stillbirths are considered potentially preventable.

“When the NIH Stillbirth Working Group objectives were first announced in September 2022, the word ‘prevention’ was conspicuously absent,” said Samantha Banerjee, Executive Director of PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy. “Through relentless grassroots organizing by bereaved parents across the country, we made it impossible to ignore the truth: so many of our children’s deaths were preventable. This $37 million investment in the new NIH Stillbirth Research Consortium—with an explicit goal of reducing the stillbirth rate—represents a fundamental shift in how U.S. stillbirth is understood and addressed. After years of advocacy, research, and ripping open our wounds to share our stories and protect future families from our pain, we’re finally seeing prevention become a priority. This is a significant step in the right direction—one that honors the babies we’ve lost and has the potential to save countless lives.”

The new funding comes after years of advocacy from bereaved parents, clinicians, and parent-led organizations such as PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy, Melinated Moms, and Measure the Placenta, which have worked in coalition to elevate stillbirth prevention and maternal equity as national priorities.

“Losing my daughter, Nyiiema Renay, lit a fire in me to make sure no mother who looks like me feels unseen or unheard,” said Jaye Wilson, Founder & CEO of Melinated Moms. “The BIPOC community suffers the highest rates of stillbirth, and this new NIH funding gives me hope that our babies’ lives will finally matter in the research and the results. I’m grateful our moms are learning how to put their advocacy into action by sharing their stories and turning them into strategies for change.”

“The NIH heard us and acted!” said Dr. Ann O’Neill, Director of Measure the Placenta. “Stillbirth is finally on the map now, such that maybe someday no stillbirth parent will hear, ‘These things just happen’ after their baby dies. We can do so much better. Now we look forward to seeing what research and tools from this funding are implemented into prenatal care to improve outcomes.”

Banerjee added that this progress reflects the power of collective grief turned into purpose. “This moment belongs to every mother and father who spoke up, every advocate who wrote a letter, and every organization that refused to let our children’s deaths be dismissed as mysteries,” she said. “We are going to keep pushing until every preventable stillbirth becomes a thing of the past.”

Today, October 15th, is recognized as International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. The day will be acknowledged across the globe at 7 p.m. local time, when bereaved families and supporters will light candles for one hour, creating a ‘Global Wave of Light’ in honor of all babies gone too soon. With the advent of the NIH Stillbirth Research Consortium, advocates are hopeful that there will be far fewer new families lighting candles on this day going forward.

About PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy
PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy is on a mission to end preventable stillbirth – and is not taking no for an answer. Sixty-five babies die in the second half of pregnancy every single day in the U.S. - that’s over 20,000 each year, most of them otherwise healthy, and all of them deeply loved. Many of these babies could have been saved. Working closely with medical researchers, doctors, birth workers, and community advocates, PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy exists to eradicate preventable stillbirth in the U.S. by 2035. Learn more at www.pushpregnancy.org and watch their award-winning seven-minute short film PUSH at stillnessisanillness.com.

Daniela Sicuranza
Laura Evans Media
daniela@lauraevansmedia.com

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