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Eugene Declercq

Professor, Community Health Sciences at Boston University

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  • Boston University

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Biography

Boston University

Gene Declercq combines formal training in political science with almost twenty years of experience as a certified childbirth educator to examine policy and practice related to childbirth in the US and abroad. His recent work in examining cesarean sections in the US and overseas has focused on maternal and infant morbidity associated with low risk cesareans and with repeat cesareans as well as the programmatic and policy influences on practices related to childbirth practices. This research has been supported as part of his work as a Robert Wood Johnson-funded Health Policy Investigator and by grants from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

He has served as lead author of two national studies of women’s experiences in childbirth entitled Listening to Mothers. He was a technical advisor to the film documentary, The Business of Being Born and has been one of the organizers of a project that has developed a 30 minute version of that documentary that, along with support materials he developed with students, can be used in college classrooms. He was also a producer and presenter of “Birth by the Numbers,” a 20 minute video that examines outcomes associated with current US birth practices.

He is principal investigator on two NIH funded collaborative projects examining child and maternal outcomes associated with Assisted Reproductive Technologies (MOSART project) and is one of the founders of the Pregnancy to Early Life Longitudinal (PELL) data system that links vital statistics, hospital, and administrative data on almost 900,000 births in Massachusetts since 1998. He’s also been active in a variety of public health projects in his hometown of Lawrence, Massachusetts, including a current effort to develop a free volunteer based clinic to serve those without access to care.

As an educator, he is a past president of the Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health and has been a recipient of the Norman Scotch Award for outstanding teaching at BUSPH. He is currently the BUSPH Assistant Dean for DrPH Education and serves as chair of the DrPH Subcommittee of the Association of Schools of Public Health.

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Cases

Texas’ Maternal Mortality Problem Is Also A Data Problem, Study Finds

January 4, 2018

KUT 90.5 Eugene Declercq Texas is over-reporting some of its maternal mortality data, a national study released today found… Expert quote: “The jump in Texas was so pronounced and so quick that we thought there was probably some kind of data anomaly at the heart of it. You only see this kind of thing in disasters.” […]

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One in three US births happen by C-section but it varies widely by hospital

October 4, 2017

The Guardian Eugene Declercq Carmen Walker didn’t realize how bad things had gotten until she heard her doctor’s voice from across the operating room: “I’m going to try to save her uterus…” Expert quote: “In the case of low-risk mothers, there’s not a lot of evidence of improved outcomesIn the case of low-risk mothers, there’s […]

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Maternal deaths at MetroWest hospital prompt state probes

July 29, 2017

Boston Globe quoting Eugene Declercq, School of Public Health  “Seveny Fuchu’s doctor sent her to the hospital to deliver two weeks before her due date last fall…” Expert quote: “A small hospital might not see a maternal death for years. So being ready to deal with that potentially fatal emergency is a challenge.” View full […]

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California decided it was tired of women bleeding to death in childbirth

June 29, 2017

Vox quoting Eugene Declercq, School of Public Health “Kristen Terlizzi woke up on July 16, 2014, in the intensive care unit at Stanford University to the news that the placenta connecting her to the child she’d just given birth to had spread like a cancer through her abdomen…” Expert quote: “The argument we make internationally is […]

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America’s Maternal Death Rate Is Rising & It’s Completely Preventable

May 14, 2017

Bustle Eugene Declercq, School of Public Health “Of 183 countries, 157 have reported decreasing maternal death rates since 2000, according to the World Health Organization…” Expert quote: “The current maternal mortality rate places the United States far behind other industrialized nations.” View full article. 

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The AHCA punishes women. It was written and passed mostly by men.

May 5, 2017

Vox Eugene Declercq, School of Public Health “One of the most disturbing aspects of the GOP’s American Health Care Act is how it punishes women in particular by defunding Planned Parenthood and making pregnancy and heavy periods “preexisting conditions...” Expert quote: “The argument we make internationally is that [high maternal mortality rates are] a reflection […]

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Ted Cruz Gets the Facts Wrong on C-Sections

February 10, 2017

The Daily Beast Eugene Declercq, School of Public Health “Let me give you some basic facts,” Republican Senator Ted Cruz began, his eyes twinkling at the healthcare truth bombs he was about to unload on his poor, unprepared colleague Bernie Sanders, during CNN’s Affordable Care Act debate last night. Expert quote: “Cruz has confused doing more with doing better.” […]

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Maternal Mortality Rate in U.S. Rises, Defying Global Trend, Study Finds

September 22, 2016

New York Times Eugene Declercq, School of Public Health One of the biggest worldwide public health triumphs in recent years has been maternal mortality… Expert quote: “People may think this is happening because the U.S. has more minorities and poor people,” he said. “But even if you limit the analysis to whites, we would still rank […]

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How are states meeting health care shortages for pregnant women?

August 16, 2016

PBS Newshour – The Rundown Eugene Declercq, School of Public Health Faced with a shortage of obstetricians and gynecologists and nurse midwives, several states are considering proposals that advocates say would improve health care for women… Expert quote: “The traditional model was that ob-gyns made this extraordinary commitment. I’ll be there for you, pre-natal, delivery and […]

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Dying In Childbirth 2016: Maternal Death Rate In US Has Worsened Since 2000, Says New Study

August 11, 2016

Medical Daily Eugene Declercq, School of Public Health The maternal death rate in America is higher than we think and only getting worse, finds a new study published recently in Obstetrics & Gynecology… Expert quote: “The current maternal mortality rate places the United States far behind other industrialized nations. There is a need to redouble efforts to prevent […]

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