12/08/2025
Combating maternal morbidity and mortality:
In addition to completing his final year in the Doctor of Nursing Practice in Nurse Anesthesia program, Emmanuel Okeowo is using his time as a Schweitzer Fellow to address the rising rates of maternal morbidity and mortality among minority groups in Tulsa.
"๐๐น๐น ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป, ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐, ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ ๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐๐บ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ.โ
Partnering with Oklahoma Birth Equity Initiative, Okeowo is developing and implementing a community-based approach to maternal safety bundles and early warning systems.
โBy the time my project wraps up, I intend to have in place accessible resources on maternal health education, healthy birth spacing and early warning signs. I am also committed to enhancing the existing doula prenatal curriculum so that it reflects current evidence-based practice guidelines.โ
Tulsaโs Schweitzer Fellowship program launched in 2016. It is housed at UTulsaโs Oxley College of Health & Natural Sciences and is one of 10 Schweitzer Fellowship sites across the United States. To date, 111 Tulsa Schweitzer Fellows have contributed more than 23,000 hours to improve the lives of over 8,000 under-resourced Tulsans in partnership with over 70 Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma nonprofits, schools and clinics.
The University of Tulsa Oxley College of Health & Natural Sciences | The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship