Other Appointments
Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Executive Director, Arkansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative
Director, PRIMROSE Project
Core Faculty, Center for Implementation Research
Education
Ph.D. – International Health, Health Systems, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
M.H.S. – International Health, Health Systems, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
B.A. – Spanish, University of Virginia
Areas of Expertise
Maternal Health
Healthcare Quality/Quality Improvement
Implementation Science
Rural Health
Mixed-Methods Research
Introduction
Dr. Callaghan-Koru leads maternal health efforts in AR, directing research and telehealth projects, including a $15M postpartum care trial, to improve outcomes through collaboration and innovation.
Credentials, Accreditations, and Awards
2017 NIH Training Institute on Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (TIDIRH)
2012–2016 NIH Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Pediatric Research
2010 Finalist, Lancet and Global Forum Young Researchers for Health
Teaching Focus
Dr. Callaghan-Koru teaches classes on public health program evaluation, mixed-methods research, and implementation sciences. Her passion for evidence-based practice carries into her teaching, and she has published and presented on effective course design.
Research Overview
Dr. Callaghan-Koru’s research and public health practice is focused on improving maternal and child health through the application of implementation science methods to support quality improvement and innovative service delivery. She has received funding from NIH, HRSA, CDC, and USAID, and is PI/Co-PI of $20M in active research and program grants.
Recent Books or Publications
- Callaghan-Koru JA, Breman RB, DiPietro B, Henderson L, Curran G. Relationships between internal facilitation processes and implementation outcomes among hospitals participating in a quality improvement collaborative to reduce cesarean births: a mixed-methods embedded case study. Implementation Science Communications. 2025; 6(1):57. PMCID: PMC12060298.
- Callaghan-Koru JA, Tiwari TT, Brown D, Manning N, Greenfield W. Maternal Mortality Review Committee findings: awareness and recommended dissemination strategies in Arkansas. AJOG Glob Rep. 2024; 4(1):100306. PMCID: PMC10844849.
- Callaghan-Koru JA, Chargois PN, Tiwari T, Brown CC, Greenfield W, Koru G. Public Maternal Health Dashboards in the United States: Descriptive Assessment. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2024; 26(1):e56804. PMCID: PMC11445621.
- Callaghan-Koru JA, Farzin A, Ridout E, Curran G. Integrating Implementation Science with Quality Improvement to Improve Perinatal Outcomes. Clinics in Perinatology. 2023; 50(2):343-361. PMID: 37201985.
- Hamm RF, Moniz M, Wahid I, Breman R, Callaghan-Koru JA. Implementation Research Priorities for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis in the United States: Results from a Modified Delphi Study with Researchers. Implementation Science Communications. 2023; 4(1):83. PMCID: PMC10360260.
Fun Fact
I spent ten years working in global health, including maternal and child health projects in Malawi, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh. I believe that public health and healthcare in the U.S. can learn a lot from innovations that worked in low-income country contexts.