Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) awarded The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia $795,088 on June 15, 2026, under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865) to conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) entitled "Postpartum Care in the NICU (PELICAN): A Cluster RCT of Doula Support and Healthcare Navigation." The project, scheduled for completion by February 28, 2031, aims to address the leading causes of maternal postpartum mortality—mental health and cardiovascular conditions—with particular focus on mothers who deliver preterm infants. The intervention will evaluate the effectiveness of doula support and healthcare navigation services in implementing evidence-based clinical recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, specifically targeting depression screening and treatment initiation, as well as blood pressure monitoring and management during the critical postpartum period.

This research initiative will generate evidence on the efficacy of integrated behavioral and clinical support mechanisms to improve maternal health outcomes and reduce postpartum mortality risk in a high-vulnerability population. The deliverables will include trial findings, implementation data on doula support and healthcare navigation effectiveness, and clinical evidence to inform future postpartum care protocols for mothers with preterm neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) setting.