About
Yenupini Joyce Adams
Biography
Dr. Joyce Adams is an Associate Professor of the Practice and the Global Maternal Research Lead for the Eck Institute for Global Health at the University of Notre Dame. She is a Concurrent Associate Professor of the Practice in the Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame. Adams was previously an Assistant Professor in the WellStar School of Nursing at Kennesaw State University. She received her Ph.D. in Nursing Science from Michigan State University College of Nursing and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The ‘joy of childbirth,’ for many women and their families, is overshadowed by the ‘fear of childbirth.’
Her research is dedicated to improving postpartum health outcomes among women most impacted by maternal mortality. She is highly motivated and passionate about using research interventions to improve maternal health, promote safe motherhood, and decrease maternal morbidity and mortality among populations disproportionately affected in the United States, and in sub-Saharan Africa where the burden of maternal mortality is most severe. She has experience conducting patient focused research, and implementing both healthcare systems and community-based interventions to improve access to quality postpartum care and education. She is focused on developing interventions that can be scaled-up and adopted into existing systems of care to improve health outcomes and decrease maternal morbidity and mortality.
Dr. Adams developed an innovative group model of postpartum care, called Focused Postpartum Care (Focused-PPC), which is an integrated postpartum care, education, and support model for women after birth. It provides women with more frequent postpartum follow-ups with providers for an extended period of 12 months after birth, standardized postpartum education for the entire post-birth year, and peer support through group sessions. This model of group postpartum care has been implemented in both sub-Saharan Africa (Ghana) and the United States (Indiana), and is available upon request for adaptation and implementation in any healthcare system.
Recognitions and Awards
- Research featured on What Would You Fight For? —an NBC Television/University of Notre Dame Production. Aired nationally on NBC-TV October 4, 2025
- Featured Profile, SPARK Magazine, Fall 2024 Issue, Calvin University
- Emerging Leader, Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, 2024
- New Investigator Award by the Midwest Nursing Research Society women’s health and transitions in childbearing research interest group, 2020
- AACN/Johnson & Johnson Minority Nurse Faculty Scholars Award by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2013
Teaching
Courses Offered
- Women & Health in Global Context: Key Issues Across the Lifespan
- Health, Culture & Society