UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative

What UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative does

The UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative (PTBi-CA) is a non-profit, university-based research initiative founded in 2015 at the University of California, San Francisco, with approximately 16 employees operating from the UCSF Mission Bay campus. Its mission is to eliminate racial disparities in preterm birth and improve health outcomes for babies born too soon, with a particular focus on Black and Latine communities in California's Fresno, Oakland, and San Francisco geographies. The initiative runs a portfolio of interconnected research programs rather than a unified commercial product, including the EMBRACE comparative effectiveness study (674+ enrolled participants in Fresno), the Glow! group prenatal care demonstration model, the recently launched CHEER oral health study with NYU and Colgate, and validated measurement instruments such as the Person-Centered Prenatal Care Scale. PTBi also developed the Periviable GOALS decision support tool for shared decision-making around resuscitation at 22-25 weeks gestation.

PTBi operates a community-led research model that engages Community Advisory Boards, the Benioff Community Innovators, and partner community-based organizations such as BLACK Wellness and Prosperity Center, Expecting Justice, and First 5 Fresno County. Its funding model is grant-driven rather than revenue-generating: it has received a $5.6 million PCORI award for EMBRACE in 2019, Colgate funding for CHEER, Health Net seed funding for the California Coalition for Black Birth Justice, and ongoing UCSF institutional support. The initiative has a sister program—the East Africa Preterm Birth Initiative—enabling joint annual symposia and cross-regional research collaboration. All services are provided at no cost to participants.

Distribution and dissemination occur through peer-reviewed publications, monthly Collaboratories with CME credit, an annual symposium (rotating between California and East Africa), and digital channels including Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube under the 'Voices for Birth Justice' brand. The Center for Birth Justice, a co-led related initiative, manages a Constant Contact newsletter and coalition advocacy work. Recent operational notes show the Community Advisory Board was sunset in 2022 after seven years, and a new Executive Director was announced in July 2024, suggesting an ongoing organizational transition while research output continues.

Name

UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative

Legal name

The Regents of the University of California

Website

https://pretermbirthca.ucsf.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative is a non-profit research initiative founded in 2015 at UCSF that conducts community-grounded studies and programs to eliminate racial disparities in preterm birth for Black and Latine birthing people across Fresno, Oakland, and San Francisco.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maternal Health Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Early Childhood & Child Development Policy Research (EDADADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Early Childhood Development (ECD) & Pre-Primary Education (BPADAKAB), Preterm/NICU-Transition Newborn Care (NCS) (HSAAACAF), Developmental Therapy / Early Childhood Special Instruction (EDACAFAG), Mental Health & Infant/Early Childhood Consultation (0–5) (EDACAFAO)

Keywords

• Preterm birth research
• Maternal health equity
• Birth justice initiatives
• Prenatal care programs
• Community health research

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Primary funding comes from research grants including PCORI funding ($5.6M for EMBRACE study), Colgate-funded studies, and institutional support from UCSF and partner organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative (PTBi-CA) is a multi-year research enterprise at the University of California, San Francisco that conducts comparative effectiveness, intervention, policy, and community-engaged research to eliminate racial disparities in preterm birth and improve outcomes for babies born too soon. Its core deliverables include the EMBRACE comparative effectiveness study, the Glow! group prenatal care program, the CHEER oral health study, the Periviable GOALS shared decision support tool, validated person-centered prenatal care measurement scales, and the Benioff Community Innovators community partnership program.

Product overview

The UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative is a multi-year research enterprise focused on eliminating racial disparities in preterm birth and improving health outcomes for babies born too soon. Rather than a unified software product, PTBi operates as a portfolio of interconnected research programs, studies, and community engagement initiatives. The core research infrastructure includes the EMBRACE Study comparing prenatal care models, the Glow! group prenatal care program, and the Periviable GOALS decision support tool. These are complemented by measurement instruments like the Person-Centered Prenatal Care Scale, community programs such as the Benioff Community Innovators, and educational resources including the Voices for Birth Justice video series and monthly Collaboratories. The initiative spans discovery research, intervention research, policy research, and collective impact work across California communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EMBRACE Study (Engaging Mothers and Babies—Reimagining Antenatal Care for Everyone)
• Glow! Group Prenatal Care and Support
• Periviable GOALS Decision Support Tool

Quantifiable outcome

• 72% Latine, 28% born in Latin America participation in EMBRACE study
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• First 5 Fresno CountycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2019First 5 Fresno County partnered with PTBi to implement and fund the Glow! group prenatal care program, originally incubated through the Fresno PTBi collective impact effort. The organization continues as a key implementation partner for prenatal interventions.
• Central Valley Health Policy Institute at CSU FresnocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner conducting comparative effectiveness studies alongside UCSF, including the EMBRACE study. The institute brings local expertise and community connections in Fresno County to the research collaboration.
• New York University (NYU)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing and Grossman School of Medicine partnered with UCSF researchers on the CHEER study, bringing together investigators from multiple institutions to examine oral health and preterm birth.
• International Healthy Outcomes of Pregnancy for Everyone (HOPE) Research ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHOPE Consortium is a partner in the CHEER study, bringing international researchers focused on uncovering causes of adverse pregnancy outcomes and identifying interventions.
• BLACK Wellness and Prosperity CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner led by Shantay Davies-Balch conducting evaluation of adapted fatherhood curriculum to strengthen paternal involvement during pregnancy among Black men in Fresno, CA.
• UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner providing investigators including Dr. Patience Afulani for patient-centered maternity care studies and Dr. Sarah Roberts for drug and pregnancy policy research.
• California Coalition for Black Birth JusticemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-led in partnership with PTBi, this coalition developed the California Black Birth Justice Agenda with seed funding from Health Net. Fiscally sponsored by Public Health Institute. Represents first-of-its-kind coalition in California.
• Public Health InstituteminorOthersServes as fiscal sponsor for the California Coalition for Black Birth Justice, providing administrative and organizational support.
• California Black Birth Equity Summit (CBBES)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborating organization led by Mashariki Kudumu, hosting birth equity events and webinars including Birth Equity Advocacy 101, with ongoing partnership with Center for Birth Justice.
• Center for Birth JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization co-leading California Coalition for Black Birth Justice with PTBi. Hosts newsletter archives and collaborative events including Birth Equity Advocacy webinars.
• UCSF Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy StudiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner providing Dr. Sarah Garrett for the MEND study on implicit bias training and antiracism in maternal health.
• UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive SciencesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic department providing faculty investigators including Dr. Larry Rand for preterm birth research and Principal Investigator leadership.
• Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care (IPFCC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in COVID-19 hospital restrictions survey, collaborating on data collection about changes to policies and patient-family engagement during the pandemic.
• UCSF School of Nursing Department of Family Health Care NursingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner collaborating on COVID-19 hospital restrictions survey research.
• University of Washington School of NursingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner in COVID-19 hospital restrictions survey project.
• PRIORITY Study (Pregnancy Coronavirus Outcomes Registry)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOVID-19 pregnancy research study collaborating on shared learnings about pandemic impacts on pregnancy and preterm birth.
• SACRED Birth StudyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudy on birth experiences during COVID-19, part of collaborative research effort sharing insights on pandemic impacts.
• HOPE COVID-19 StudyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOVID-19 and pregnancy outcomes research study led by Dr. Laura Jelliffe-Pawlowski examining pandemic-related hardship impacts.
• East Africa Preterm Birth InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister initiative at UCSF working on preterm birth in East Africa (Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda). PTBi-CA collaborates with this initiative, including joint annual symposia held in both regions.
• SisterWeb Community Doula ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan Francisco doula program announced at City Hall in 2018, addressing birth equity through community-based doula support.
• Benioff Community InnovatorsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram of women from community-based organizations working with pregnant mothers facing housing insecurity in San Francisco, representing authentic community partnership model.
• Expecting JusticemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan Francisco collective impact partner leading the Abundant Birth Project providing $1,000/month cash supplements to Black and Pacific Islander pregnant persons.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Expecting Justice: Expecting Justice is a San Francisco collective impact initiative focused on birth equity and Black maternal health, including the Abundant Birth Project cash supplement program. It is a direct peer and core implementation partner of PTBi, sharing the same birth equity goals in California.
• Every Mother Counts: Every Mother Counts is a nonprofit founded by Christy Turlington Burns that invests in maternal health programs, research, and advocacy globally. It is a direct peer in the maternal health equity and community-based intervention space, with similar grant-making and program-evaluation activities.
• Black Mamas Matter Alliance: Black Mamas Matter Alliance is a national network advancing Black maternal health through research, policy, and care transformation. Its research-and-advocacy model and focus on Black maternal health outcomes closely parallel PTBi's community-led research and birth justice agenda.
• National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC): NBEC is a national nonprofit focused explicitly on eliminating Black maternal and infant health disparities through research, advocacy, and community-based programs. It is a direct peer in PTBi's specific niche of birth equity research and community-centered intervention design.

Broad incumbents

• ZERO TO THREE: ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit focused on early childhood development from birth to age three, with a policy research and advocacy function. It is a broad incumbent in early childhood health and policy research, overlapping with PTBi's prenatal and preterm birth research that bridges to early childhood outcomes.
• March of Dimes: March of Dimes is the largest U.S. nonprofit dedicated to maternal and infant health, funding research and running programs to reduce preterm birth. It is a broad incumbent that operates nationally and overlaps with PTBi's mission to eliminate preterm birth disparities, though it is much larger and more established.
• UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health: The Bixby Center is a UCSF research center conducting research and training on reproductive health, including patient-centered maternity care. It is a close institutional peer and active partner (provides investigators to PTBi), operating in the same university with overlapping maternal health research.

Emerging players

• Pregnancy Coronavirus Outcomes Registry (PRIORITY): PRIORITY is a UCSF-affiliated COVID-19 pregnancy outcomes registry that collaborated with PTBi during the pandemic. It is an emerging peer in pregnancy outcomes research and shares the UCSF affiliation and overlapping investigator base.
• Healthy Start EPIC Center: Healthy Start EPIC Center provides training, technical assistance, and resources for Healthy Start grantees focused on reducing infant mortality and improving maternal health in high-risk communities. It is an emerging peer in the federal maternal-child health program space where PTBi's community-grounded models could be deployed.
• International HOPE Research Consortium: HOPE is an international research consortium uncovering causes of adverse pregnancy outcomes and identifying interventions. It is an emerging peer and active partner of PTBi via the CHEER study, with comparable scientific focus on preterm birth etiology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLvkFcc3De3Dr76krj7lVRg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ucsf-california-preterm-birth-initiative
• Instagraminstagram.com/voices4birthjustice
• TikToktiktok.com/@voices4birthjustice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative