February 5, 2026
Global WACh Certificate Student Brooke Erickson supports efforts to strengthen perinatal research recruitment in Seattle
Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) are prevalent mental health conditions that occur during pregnancy or within the first year postpartum. Poor mental health in this period is associated with adverse outcomes for both mothers and children, including maternal morbidity and mortality, and hindered child development. Although PMADs are common, a significant treatment gap remains, with more than half of women experiencing symptoms not receiving timely, high-quality mental health care.
To help fill that treatment gap, Brooke Erickson, a second-year MPH student in the Department of Global Health and Global WACh Graduate Certificate Student, is supporting the “Maternal Infant and Dyadic Care (MInD)” randomized control trial that is evaluating the feasibility of integrating depression care with Promoting First Relationships Brief (PFR-B), an evidence-based program that promotes children’s social-emotional development by focusing on caregiver-child relationships.
As part of Brooke’s 90-hour certificate capstone, she conducted and analyzed semi-structured interviews with clinical team members (i.e., psychologists, physicians, care managers) in the Seattle area. This work explored their perceptions of facilitators and barriers to recruiting women experiencing perinatal mental health challenges across multiple levels of the social-ecological model. The findings aim to clarify why perinatal women are underrepresented in research, with the broader goal of advancing mental health care for women during the vulnerable periods of pregnancy and after birth.
Over the Fall Quarter, Brooke led 10 interviews, co-developed and refined a codebook, and co-conducted thematic analysis to ensure methodological rigor, reflexivity, and consistency. She worked closely with Dr. Amritha Bhat (perinatal psychiatrist and Associate Professor in UW Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences), Jamie Adachi (Perinatal Mental Health and Substance Use Education, Research, and Clinical Consultation (PERC) Center Manager), and Joanne Quiray (Research Study Coordinator Lead at the PERC Center and a Master of Social Work candidate). With analysis now completed, Brooke will help finalize the theme table, conceptual model, and manuscript with the goal of future publication.
The capstone experience reinforced Brooke’s passion for qualitative research, as it enables her to amplify community voices and ensure their perspectives inform actionable solutions. It offered opportunities to strengthen her qualitative research skills (including interviewing, thematic analysis using Dedoose, and synthesizing results into a manuscript) and to apply what she learned in her Master’s-level public health coursework to an active research project. Moving to Seattle last year for her Master’s degree, this was her first opportunity to conduct public health research in the region, complementing her previous international research experiences and reinforcing that global health work is also local.
Brooke is graduating in June and is seeking connections with professionals in local public health organizations in the Seattle area and with individuals working in global mental health, maternal health, or child health. Her capstone will be featured at the Global WACh Student Poster Symposium in Spring 2026. Please join us to learn more about her project, along with projects by other graduating certificate students.