Poor person-centered maternal health care (PCMHC) contributes to high maternal and neonatal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and disparities in PCMHC are driving disparities in use of maternal health services. Little research, however, exists on how to improve PCMHC and reduce disparities. I seek to fill this gap with this project. I propose targeting health provider stress and unconscious bias as fundamental factors driving poor PCMHC and disparities in PCMHC. Health provider stress and unconscious bias are important to consider because:

(1) providers in low-resource settings often work under very stressful conditions;

(2) unconscious bias is prevalent in every society including SSA; and

(3) these factors are mutually reinforcing drivers of poor quality care and disparities in person-centered care.

To prepare me to develop my unique research program and extend the evidence base on interventions to improve PCMHC, I propose training and research during the mentored phase (K99) to extend my knowledge and skills in: (1) stress and unconscious bias; (2) advanced qualitative and mixed methods research; and (3) implementation science methodology. In the K99 phase, I will also conduct (1) multilevel secondary data analysis to examine individual level characteristics and potential system level stressors associated with PCMHC, focusing on the role of provider stress; and (2) structured and in-depth interviews with providers to examine the levels of provider stress and unconscious bias, and the types of stressors and biases in Kenya. The knowledge and skills gained in the mentored phase, as well as the results of the mentored research, will be instrumental to achieving the aims of the independent phase (R00), which are to: (1) design a multicomponent theory and evidence-based intervention that enables providers to identify and manage their stress and unconscious bias; (2) pilot the intervention to assess its feasibility and acceptability; and (3) assess preliminary effect of the intervention on: (a) provider knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to stress and unconscious bias; and (b) provider stress levels—using a pretest-posttest control group design. I will use the results of the pilot to refine the intervention and develop an R01 proposal for a multi-site evaluation with a larger sample and longer follow up, to assess impact on PCMHC.