Beverly M. Foti, MS, DrPH, successfully defended her dissertation for the Doctor of Public Health in Public Health Leadership program on March 9. Her specialty track for the program was Health Policy and Management. The title of her dissertation was “Psychiatric consultation and birth outcomes: Does it make a difference in women with psychiatric disorders during pregnancy?” The purpose of this study was to find out whether psychiatric consultation improves the poor birth outcomes often associated with women who have a psychiatric diagnosis during their pregnancy. She used data collected during the normal course of treatment for women who had delivered their babies at UAMS. According to study findings, no significant differences were found in birth weight, APGAR score or gestational age for women who had access to psychiatric consultation. Dr. Foti works as the Chief Regulatory Officer for Youth Home, Inc. in Little Rock.