Home » News » WVPP Executive Director Amy Tolliver Receives 2026 West Virginia Rural Health Leadership Award

From the Center for Rural Health Development: “We’re proud to recognize the recipients of the 2026 West Virginia Rural Health Leadership Award at the Appalachian Health Leadership Forum! The West Virginia Rural Health Leadership Award recognizes individuals for leadership and noteworthy initiative in improving health and increasing access to quality healthcare in West Virginia’s rural communities.

Congratulations to Dr. Joanna Bailey, MD and Amy Tolliver, MS!

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As Executive Director of the West Virginia Perinatal Partnership, Ms. Tolliver has led efforts to improve health outcomes for pregnant women and infants across the state. Under her leadership, the organization has grown into a statewide coordinating hub, supporting collaboration among healthcare providers, agencies, and community partners. Her work has expanded access to care and strengthened systems that support maternal and infant health in West Virginia.

This recognition highlights the important role of leadership in strengthening communities and advancing long-term health outcomes across West Virginia.”

WVCTSI Project ECHO, in collaboration with the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, is launching an ECHO Project to eliminate hepatitis C in pregnant women and infants. These one-hour sessions will launch in April 2026 and include didactic and de-identified case presentations. The sessions will be recorded, and one general hour of CME credit will be offered.

Click Here to Register

From the European Journal of Pediatrics: “Very preterm infants are at increased risk of respiratory morbidity, with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) being one of the most common neonatal respiratory complications. Although human milk feeding has been linked to improved respiratory outcomes in preterm infants, evidence on long-term morbidity and differences between pasteurized donor human milk (PDM) and mother’s own milk (MOM) is limited. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the association between human milk exposure and long-term respiratory morbidity in very preterm infants up to 18 months and to assess whether respiratory outcomes and BPD differ according to the predominant type of human milk received during hospitalization. This prospective cohort study included infants born at < 32 weeks of gestational age and followed until 18 months. Respiratory hospital admissions and emergency department (ED) visits for respiratory causes were recorded. Infants were classified according to feeding type at hospital discharge (human milk [exclusive or mixed] vs. exclusive formula), according to the predominant type of human milk received during hospitalization (> 50% PDM vs. > 50% MOM), and according to BPD status (no BPD/1 vs. BPD 2–3). All infants received exclusively human milk during hospitalization (MOM and/or PDM); formula, when used, was introduced only shortly before discharge. Multivariable analyses were adjusted for gestational age and BPD. Among 338 infants with complete follow-up, human milk feeding at hospital discharge was associated with a lower risk of respiratory hospital admissions during the first 18 months compared with exclusive formula feeding (15% vs. 25%; p = 0.03). This association remained significant after adjustment for BPD (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.31–0.99). “

Read the full study here.

From the NIH: “In a clinical trial supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a research team found that administering weekly injectable extended-release buprenorphine for treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) during pregnancy led to higher rates of abstinence from illicit opioids than buprenorphine given daily under the tongue (sublingual), one of the standard methods of treatment. Additionally, serious adverse events were less common in those receiving extended-release treatment. The findings, which support the use of this formulation of buprenorphine for treating OUD during pregnancy, were published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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In the multicenter trial, 140 pregnant adults were randomized to receive either injectable extended-release or sublingual buprenorphine (with or without naloxone). The trial, supported by the NIDA Clinical Trials Network as part of the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative (NIH HEAL Initiative®), was the first randomized trial testing extended-release buprenorphine for OUD in pregnancy and postpartum.”

Read more here and read the full study here.

From JAMA Network Open: “In this cohort study involving 38, 219 mother-child pairs, maternal physical activity before and during pregnancy was associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes in late infancy. Moreover, higher levels of maternal exercise were associated with more favorable neurodevelopmental outcomes.

…Among the 38 ,219 mother-child pairs (maternal mean [SD] age, 31.1 [4.8] years; 19 429 [50.8%] male children), multivariable logistic regression showed that higher maternal physical activity was associated with child neurodevelopment. Higher prepregnancy activity was associated with significantly higher odds for each ASQ-3 domain at 6 months of age and higher midpregnancy activity with high odds for the gross motor (odds ratio [OR], 1.18; 95% CI, 1.06-1.33), fine motor (OR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.37-1.86), and problem solving (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.10-1.38) domains. Higher prepregnancy activity was associated with higher odds for the problem-solving domain (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.01-1.34) at 3 years of age; there was no association with any other domain. Higher midpregnancy activity was not associated with higher odds of any ASQ domain at 3 years of age.“

Read the full study here.

From the American Heart Association: “Female stroke survivors were more than twice as likely as their stroke-free counterparts to have another stroke while pregnant and in the six weeks after childbirth, according to an analysis of a large national database of electronic health records. In addition, the risk of ischemic stroke during pregnancy and the early postpartum period was 82% more likely among pregnant women who had a previous heart attack and 25% more likely in women with obesity.“

Read more about the study here.

From The Lancet: “43 studies were included in the systematic review, and 17 studies in the meta-analysis. When considering sibling comparison studies, paracetamol exposure during pregnancy was not associated with the risk of autism spectrum disorder…ADHD…or intellectual disability. There was also no association between paracetamol intake during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder…or intellectual disability when considering only studies at low risk of bias according to QUIPS.“

Read the full study here.

From Medscape: “Early breastfeeding, particularly during the first 4 months of life, was associated with fewer emotional and behavioural problems in children at the age of 4 years. Children breastfed for this duration had reduced internalising and externalising problems, aggressive behaviour, and symptoms related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). No additional benefit was observed beyond 8 months of breastfeeding.“

Read the full study from the European Journal of Pediatrics here.

The West Virginia Perinatal Partnership extends its congratulations to Dakota Collins, a Patient Navigator at WVU Medicine Weirton Medical Center, on passing her certification exam to become a Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional (PMH-C)!

Dakota’s certification was funded through scholarships provided by the West Virginia Perinatal Partnership-an investment that will have lasting benefits for the patients and families she serves.

Are you 18 years or older and in your 2nd or 3rd trimester of a healthy pregnancy?

This research study is aimed at helping pregnant women with sleep and light physical activity using group support.

You will be asked to join a private social media group. In this group you will receive short daily posts, infographics, videos, and encouragement from health coaches and other pregnant women.

You will be asked to complete short surveys and interviews at the beginning and end of two weeks which will take about 15 minutes each time. Your total time commitment would be 2 ½ or more depending on how much you engage in the private group.

Those who complete the surveys both times will receive a Fitbit Inspire 3 activity watch.

This research study is approved by the West Virginia University Institutional Review Board.

Your participation in this study may help women during pregnancy.
 

Click here to see if you are eligible or contact Dr. Peter Giacobbi at prgiacobbi@mail.wvu.edu