Melanated Group Midwifery Care

What Melanated Group Midwifery Care does

Melanated Group Midwifery Care (MGMC) is a research project at the University of Illinois Chicago conducting a randomized controlled trial and hybrid effectiveness-implementation study of an integrated maternity care model for Black birthing people. Founded in 2022 and recruiting participants from August 2022 to June 2025, MGMC packages four evidence-based interventions as a unified offering: racially concordant care delivered by Black midwives, nurses, and doulas; group prenatal care for participants with similar due dates; care coordination by a Black nurse and social worker; and up to 12 months of in-home postpartum doula support. The project is housed within UIC's College of Nursing, Center for Research on Women and Gender, and operates in clinical partnership with UI Health, where participants receive their prenatal care.

MGMC is not a commercial enterprise. It is grant-funded through academic research mechanisms, and prenatal care for enrolled participants is billed through insurance as standard care. Intervention-arm services — care coordination and postpartum doula support — are covered by the research study at no additional cost to participants, who remain responsible only for standard insurance deductibles. The target population is newly pregnant, Black individuals already receiving prenatal care at UI Health in Chicago, where the pregnancy-related mortality rate is reported to be 6x higher for non-Hispanic Black women compared to non-Hispanic white women. There is no proprietary software, technology product, or commercial revenue stream disclosed in the available source material.

The project is led by certified nurse midwife Karie Stewart (MPH, MSN, CNM) and Dr. Kylea Liese (PhD, CNM, Assistant Professor of Nursing at UIC), supported by a multidisciplinary team that includes senior faculty from UIC and the University of Michigan, a care coordinator, nurse navigator, lactation consultant, recruitment specialist, and multiple postpartum doulas. Key operational partners include Chicago Birthworks Collective — Chicago's first Black maternal wellness company, which supplies postpartum doulas and has co-owner Tayo Mbande and Cynthia Jones embedded on the research team — and the Malcolm X College Student Nurses Association, which co-hosts community awareness events such as Black Maternal Health Week. Recruitment is conducted through direct outreach via [email protected] and phone, partnerships with UI Health prenatal care providers, and the project's website (mgmcchi.org) and Instagram presence.

Name

Melanated Group Midwifery Care

Legal name

Melanated Group Midwifery Care

Website

https://mgmcchi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Melanated Group Midwifery Care is a University of Illinois Chicago research project testing an integrated maternity care model for Black pregnant people at UI Health, combining racially concordant providers, group prenatal care, care coordination, and 12 months of postpartum doula support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maternal and Perinatal Healthcare Services

NAICS

Home Health Care Services (621610), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Midwifery & Birth Centers (HLAFAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Lactation, Postpartum & Perinatal Support Services (HLAFAJAN)

Keywords

• Midwifery care services
• Prenatal care research
• Maternal health equity
• Group prenatal care
• Postpartum doula support

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Funding: MGMC is a research project funded by grants at the University of Illinois Chicago. Prenatal care is billed through insurance as standard care would be billed if receiving traditional one-on-one care with a midwife or obstetrician.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Melanated Group Midwifery Care is a research project at the University of Illinois Chicago that tests a new maternity care model for Black pregnant people. The integrated offering combines four evidence-based interventions: racially concordant care from Black midwives, nurses, and doulas; group prenatal care for participants with similar due dates; care coordination by a Black nurse and social worker; and up to 12 months of in-home postpartum doula support. Participants are enrolled from August 2022 to June 2025 and complete surveys at six timepoints across pregnancy and postpartum.

Product overview

Melanated Group Midwifery Care (MGMC) is a research project at the University of Illinois Chicago that operates as a randomized controlled trial and hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial testing a new model of maternity care for Black birthing people. The integrated offering consists of four evidence-based interventions delivered together as a unified care model: Racially Concordant Care (providing care from Black midwives, nurses, and doulas), Group Prenatal Care (small group appointments), Care Coordination (nurse and social worker navigation), and Postpartum Doula Support (up to 12 months of in-home postpartum care). The study runs from August 2022 to June 2025, with participants completing surveys at six timepoints across pregnancy and postpartum.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Racially Concordant Care

Quantifiable outcome

• Addresses pregnancy-related mortality disparity: 6x higher rate for non-Hispanic Black women compared to non-Hispanic white women in Chicago

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Malcolm X College Student Nurses AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering with MGMC to honor Black Maternal Health Week 2023. The partnership involves events to discuss ways to get involved in maternal health advocacy and awareness.
• Chicago Birthworks CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago's first Black maternal wellness company provides postpartum doulas for the MGMC program. Tayo Mbande, co-owner, serves on the research team, and Cynthia Jones serves as Assistant Doula & Program Manager. The partnership delivers in-home postpartum support to MGMC mothers for 12 months after birth.
• University of Illinois ChicagocoreOthersMGMC is a research project housed at UIC, specifically affiliated with the College of Nursing, Center for Research on Women and Gender, and UI Health clinical system. Provides infrastructure, faculty, and clinical facilities for the research.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Commonsense Childbirth: Jennie Joseph's midwifery-led birth center and midwifery training institute serving disproportionately affected communities; comparable midwifery-based, equity-driven maternity care delivery.
• Chicago Birthworks Collective: Chicago's first Black maternal wellness company and MGMC's core postpartum-doula partner; both serve Black birthing people with culturally concordant doula and wellness services in Chicago.
• Ancient Song Doula Services: Brooklyn-based doula organization providing full-spectrum and postpartum support to BIPOC birthing people; comparable community-based, equity-focused doula service model.
• HealthConnect One: National organization training community-based doulas and peer counselors with deep roots in Black maternal health; comparable community doula model serving similar populations.
• Village Birth International: Equity-centered perinatal organization offering full-spectrum doula care, lactation support, and midwifery services to BIPOC families; directly comparable service mix and population.
• Mama Glow: Maternal health platform providing doula training, access, and support with a focus on birth equity for Black and BIPOC families; comparable culturally concordant doula model and postpartum support offering.

Broad incumbents

• Black Mamas Matter Alliance: National Black women-led cross-sector alliance advancing Black maternal health, rights, and justice; comparable mission and population focus, but operates as a policy/advocacy network rather than direct care.
• National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC): National nonprofit advancing Black maternal health equity through research, training, and policy — operates at a broader scale than MGMC but shares the same mission and target population.
• Every Mother Counts: Global maternal health nonprofit investing in community-based, equity-focused maternity care; comparable mission but operates as a grantmaker/advocate rather than a direct care provider.

Emerging players

• Sista Midwife Productions: Network and resource directory supporting Black birthing people and midwives; comparable audience and equity framing, with partial overlap on community education and provider directory.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/mgmc.chi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mgmc-chi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Melanated Group Midwifery Care