Arkansas has among the highest rates of maternal mortality, pre-term birth, and low birth weight in the US. The PeRinatal IMpRovement of Outcomes and Safety for Everyone (PRIMROSE) project partners with stakeholders to contribute to reducing maternal morbidity and mortality in Arkansas and improve the state’s national ranking for maternal health.
The primrose is a native wildflower commonly seen across Arkansas, and its name derives from the Latin word “primus,” because it is one of the first flowers to bloom in Spring. Healthy birth is also a “prime” requirement for a healthy population, and the PRIMROSE acronym emphasizes the foundational importance of perinatal health for the state of Arkansas.
Core PRIMROSE Activities
PRIMROSE Partners
PRIMROSE Team
PRIMROSE is led by an interdisciplinary team from UAMS with expertise in clinical care, public health programs, evaluation research, informatics, and health policy. Project activities engage providers, patients, community members, and policymakers to work collaboratively to benefit mothers and families in Arkansas.
- Jennifer Callaghan-Koru, PhD, PI/Project Director
- Nirvana Manning, MD, Co-PI/Medical Director
- Güneş Koru, PhD, Co-PI/Informatics Director
- Luann Racher, MD, Co-I/Simulation Lead Faculty
- Clare C. Brown, PhD, Co-Investigator
- Krista Langston, MBA, Executive Director, Arkansas Center for Women & Infants’ Health
- Kelly Conroy, RN, Director, Arkansas Center for Women & Infants’ Health
- Tanvangi Tiwari, MPP, Senior Data Analyst
- Rachel S. Purvis, PhD, PRIMROSE Program Manager
- Lauren Peña, RN, Education & Communications Manager
Community of Practice Meetings
| Date | Topics/Presenters | Slides |
|---|---|---|
2/19/2026 | Community Clinic Arkansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) | Download |
| 11/20/2025 | Arkansas Center for Women and Infants’ Health Arkansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative | Download |
| 8/21/2025 | Community Health Centers of Arkansas Heartland Forward, Maternal and Child Health Center for Policy and Practice | Download |
| 4/10/2025 | Maternal Life360 HOME Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me (ARHOME) Healthy Start Home Visiting, UAMS Institute of Community Health Innovation | Download |
| 11/21/2024 | Arkansas Surgeon General & the Deputy Director for Public Health Programs Office of Public Health Informatics/PRIMROSE Project, UAMS | Download |
| 8/29/2024 | Arkansas Center for Health Improvement Arisa Health | Download |
| 5/16/2024 | In-Person Spring Forum | Download |
| 2/8/2024 | Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, Dept. of Human Services Infectious Diseases Program, Arkansas Dept. of Health | Download |
| 11/16/2023 | Arkansas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics AR MOMS Program CHI St. Vincent Hospital | Download |
| 8/17/2023 | Ujima Maternity Network | Download |
| 5/18/2023 | Community of Practice Co-Chairs | Download |
PRIMROSE Media Coverage
Selected news articles and interviews about the PRIMROSE project are linked below:
- Article by KATV 7 News, Little Rock (Scott Solomon, December 15, 2025)
- Article in the Healthcare Journal of Arkansas (December 15, 2025)
- Article in Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (My Ly, December 24, 2024)
- Television interview with Arkansas Week PBS (December 13, 2024)
- Television interview with KATV Little Rock (December 2, 2024)
- Article in Arkansas Business Weekly (Arkansas Business Staff, September 28, 2022)
- Article in Becker Hospital Review (Nathan Tucker, September 26, 2022)
PRIMROSE Reports and Publications
Jennifer Callaghan-Koru, Tanvangi Tiwari, Lauren Peña, Güneş Koru, Katie Krueger, Pearl A. McElfish, Jill M. Mhyre, Luann Racher. Obstetric Emergency Preparedness in Arkansas Emergency Departments: Results From a Cross-Sectional Survey, JACEP Open. 7(1):2026, 100274, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acepjo.2025.100274.
Jennifer Callaghan-Koru, Tanvangi Tiwari, Dawn Brown, Nirvana Manning, William Greenfield, Maternal mortality review committee findings: Awareness and recommended dissemination strategies in Arkansas, AJOG Global Reports 4(1):2024, 100306, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xagr.2023.100306.
Jennifer Callaghan-Koru, Paige Newman Chargois, Tanvangi Tiwari, Clare C. Brown, William Greenfield, Güneş Koru, A Descriptive Assessment of Public Maternal Health Dashboards in the United States, Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2024;26:e56804. doi: 10.2196/56804.