Biography
Dr. Abdul-Mbacke is a practicing Obstetrician-Gynecologist in rural Southwestern Virginia. She is the founder and CEO of Piedmont Preferred Women's Healthcare. The practice opened in 2007 and now operates in VA and NC. She is an Attending Physician at UNC Rockingham Hospital. Dr. Abdul-Mbacke serves on the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology Committee on Government Affairs.
Dr. Abdul-Mbacke earned her undergraduate and medical degrees at Yale University. She completed a Masters in Public Health with a concentration in Maternal Child Health from Harvard University. Dr. Abdul-Mbacke completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Dr. Abdul-Mbacke has dedicated her professional career to the improvement of women’s health and health equity. She has served as a thought leader in Virginia state government. Her contributions include providing expert advice in strategic sessions on Rural and Maternal Health with the Governor and U.S. Senators in Virginia and speaking at the Governor’s press conference announcing the expansion of Medicaid to cover pregnant people a year after delivery.
Serving the women and families of rural Virginia and North Carolina brings Dr. Abdul-Mbacke great joy. She is deeply committed to addressing the increasing rates of maternal morbidity and mortality in low resource communities. As part of that commitment, she started Arise Women’s Health Institute in 2021 to provide access to resources to help all women achieve a healthy pregnancy. Its mission is to decrease maternal mortality and morbidity and to equip women with the skills to advocate for themselves, their families and their communities.
ARISE is proposing to develop a new initiative to engage community maternity health workers who will work with birthing people throughout their pregnancy and for 4 months postpartum.
This technology and service-based initiative will be guided by the social determinants of health to provide equitable access to high quality services to all families, regardless of zip code.
Community maternity health workers will deliver services to clients, using proprietary software to determine the amount, frequency, and type of services. The initiative is also intended to strengthen women’s self-efficacy and advocacy to ensure optimal outcomes for birthing people and their babies.