The postpartum period can be a critical, and often overlooked, window for maternal mental health. This presentation explores how Arkansas is closing that gap through a proactive approach that reaches new mothers before they have to ask for help. Discover what maternal mortality data reveal, how the Proactive Postpartum Call Center is identifying women at risk, and how early screening and warm referrals are turning a missed opportunity into a point of prevention.

Speaker:

Dr. Nirvana Manning | Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UAMS | Director, Arkansas Center for Women and Infants’ Health

Dr. Nirvana Manning currently serves as Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Service Line Director for Women’s Health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). She is also the founding Director of the Arkansas Center for Women and Infants’ Health, established through congressional grant funding to enhance maternal and infant health outcomes across the state of Arkansas.

Dr. Manning earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from UAMS in 2003 and completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at UAMS in 2007. She is an elected member of the Board of Trustees of the Arkansas Medical Society, presently serving her third two-year term, and was appointed by the Governor of Arkansas as an inaugural member of the Arkansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee. Dr. Manning is also an active member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Council of University Chairs in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the North American Menopause Society.

Her academic and professional work focuses on improving maternal health outcomes, advancing women’s access to comprehensive reproductive health services, and addressing health disparities within underserved populations. Dr. Manning has led multiple initiatives to educate adolescents and caregivers on puberty and self-care and has championed statewide efforts to improve access to contraception. Additionally, she has secured and managed numerous projects and grants aimed at reducing maternal morbidity and mortality and enhancing postpartum care for Arkansas women.

Dr. Manning resides in Little Rock, Arkansas, with her husband and three children.