Sharing the stage with policymakers who use evidence to support maternal mental health policies and programs

Many of us supporting evidence-based policymaking got involved with applied research in hopes that our findings might reach decision makers who would then use the evidence to improve people’s well-being. But sometimes it can be hard to know if and how our evidence is driving change. One of my greatest fears is that a report I worked on for years (that a funder spent millions of dollars supporting) will go ignored and unread, gathering dust on a shelf. That’s why I welcomed the opportunity to serve as a panelist at a public forum that took place in October on maternal mental health and employment, where evidence from Mathematica was part of a broader conversation about state and federal policies that support pregnant and recently pregnant workers. (author introduction)