A Lifelong Advocate for Mothers and Families Earns Statewide Recognition

Morgan State Public Health Scholar Dr. Yvonne Bronner Honored with Award for Research and Leadership in Advancing Maternal and Child Health in Baltimore, Strengthening Communities

For more than four decades, Yvonne Bronner, Sc.D., has helped shape Baltimore’s maternal and child health landscape through research, community engagement and policy leadership—an impact that reflects Morgan State University’s long-standing role as a driving force in advancing health equity and community-centered public health solutions.

That influence was formally recognized when Dr. Bronner, a professor in the Department of Public and Allied Health within Morgan’s School of Community Health and Policy (SCHP), received the “Healthy Babies Journey Award.” The honor was presented during a special convening marking National Maternal Health Awareness Day, celebrating her decades of leadership and sustained commitment to improving maternal and infant health outcomes in Baltimore and beyond.

The recognition was conferred by B’more for Healthy Babies (BHB) in partnership with the Baltimore City Health Department, Family League of Baltimore and HealthCare Access Maryland during the organization’s third annual maternal health awareness celebration. The event took place at the Miller Senate Office Building during the opening days of the 2026 regular session of the Maryland General Assembly.

In conjunction with the award, the Maryland Senate issued a formal resolution honoring Dr. Bronner’s more than 45 years of service in public health, presented by Senator Arthur Ellis in recognition of her enduring leadership and advocacy on behalf of mothers, children and families.

A widely respected public health expert in the Baltimore community, Dr. Bronner has been a cornerstone of the B’more for Healthy Babies initiative, serving for 15 years on its Steering Committee. Through that work, she helped establish a community-based infrastructure focused on improving birth outcomes, expanding access to care and addressing disparities that disproportionately affect families in underserved communities.

In 2024, The Family League of Baltimore selected Dr. Bronner as the recipient of the esteemed President’s Award for their deep appreciation of her extensive contributions to community health and maternal health equity and pioneering research.

Her leadership reflects a hallmark of Morgan’s approach to public health education—integrating scholarship, community engagement and real-world impact. Dr. Bronner has mobilized Morgan faculty and students to work alongside community partners, including during the COVID-19 pandemic when university-led outreach helped contribute to Baltimore achieving an 86.1% vaccination rate, one of the highest among comparable U.S. cities.

Beyond Baltimore, Dr. Bronner’s advocacy has helped shape national momentum around maternal health equity. Her efforts contributed to the formation of the Maternal Health Research Collaborative and its HBCU Alliance Team for Maternal, Child and Family Health (HAT)—an initiative launched by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in 2023 to strengthen maternal health research capacity at historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions across the country. 

Through teaching, mentorship and public health leadership, Dr. Bronner continues to prepare the next generation of health professionals while advancing research and partnerships that center the health and well-being of families.

Her recognition with the Healthy Babies Journey Award underscores the lasting influence of her work—and the vital role Morgan State University continues to play in advancing solutions that improve health outcomes for communities locally and nationwide.