Sarah Verbiest, DrPH, MSW, MPH
(she/her)
Sarah is the Director of the Jordan Institute for Families, and the Executive Director for the Collaborative for Maternal and Infant Health. She is a Clinical Professor at the School of Social Work. She brings over 20 years of expertise, leadership, and research in women, maternal, child, and family well-being to the team. She supervises programs that serve clinics across North Carolina, serves on policy teams such as the Child Fatality Task Force, holds a robust research portfolio, and has convened statewide coalitions to address maternal and infant mortality disparities. Verbiest has successfully led complex mixed-methods research studies and leveraged the findings into on-the-ground change. She edited the book Making Change Happen: Moving Lifecourse from Theory to Action (APHA Press, 2018)) which focused on MCH practitioners. Her book – Preconception Health and Care: A Lifecourse Perspective, was released in August 2020. Dr. Verbiest co-edited the 4th Edition of the Maternal and Child Health textbook that was released in 2021. Her most recent co-edited book – the Maternal Health Practical Playbook was released in February 2024. She is a co-founder and co-leader of the 4th Trimester Project and leads the national Show Your Love campaign. She has a doctorate in public health leadership, a masters degree in public health – maternal and child health, and a masters degree in social work – community, management, and policy practice – all from UNC Chapel Hill.
Email: sarah_verbiest@unc.edu
Cell Phone: 919-638-5183