About Vu-An Foster, MPH

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                                                                                             Vu-An Foster has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Health from William Paterson University and a                                                                                                              a Master of Public Health Degree concentrating in Health Systems Administration and Policy from Montclair State                                                                                             State University. She is currently awaiting acceptance to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health,                                                                                                       where she will complete her Doctorate of Public Health Degree specializing in Mental Health.

 

                                                                                           Before celebrating the birth of a healthy baby boy in July 2021, Vu-An Foster experienced two painful preventable                                                                                            pregnancy losses.  Then, Vu-An decided to be that resource and founded Life After 2 Losses, Inc. - a 501(c)(3)                                                                                                     501(c)(3) nonprofit organization preventing reproductive & health injustices through supporting and empowering                                                                                               empowering women & families in the community.

 

 

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A PASSIONATE LEADER 

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Vu-An Foster's work led her to serve on multiple committees and advisory boards surrounding perinatal health and infant mortality, including the New Jersey Maternal Care Quality Collaborative (NJMCQC) with the New Jersey Department of Health, where she serves as the Vice-Chairperson. Vu-An serves on the Coalition for Change for NJ with Melinated Moms.  Vu-An is the former New Jersey ambassador with Count the Kicks, where she educates expectant parents on the importance of kick-counting. 

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MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL 

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Vu-An Foster is a bereavement specialist certified in Maternal Mental Health: Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder & Perinatal Loss and Grief.  She is also a certified healing circle facilitator. She recently published an article entitled, "Reimagining Perinatal Mental Health: An Expansive Vision For Structural Change," published in Health Affairs 40, no. 10 (2021), where she was the lead author. The article discusses how diagnoses of depression, anxiety, or other mental illnesses capture just one aspect of the psychosocial elements of the perinatal period. Perinatal loss; trauma; unstable, unsafe, or inhumane work environments; structural racism and gendered oppression in health care and society; and the lack of a social safety net threaten the well-being of birthing people, their families, and communities.

 

10+ YEARS OF IMPACT

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Outside of Vu-An Foster's work with Life After 2 Losses, she is a business owner and a public health consultant.  She is a public health professional with more than ten years of experience in the healthcare field providing direct patient care,  managerial and executive-level support.  She is dedicated and committed to difference and improving health outcomes globally.  

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