The 5th annual conference unites healthcare leaders, policymakers and Black preemie families to turn evidence and lived experience into action.
PHILADELPHIA, PA, UNITED STATES, October 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — As Black families continue to face disproportionately high rates of preterm birth, Once Upon A Preemie, Inc. is marking five years of its Black Maternal Health and Neonatal Equity Conference by calling on healthcare leaders, policymakers and communities to turn awareness into meaningful action.
The Black woman-led nonprofit will host its 5th Annual Black Maternal Health and Neonatal Equity Conference, “Meeting the Moment: Reimagining Our Future,” on Nov. 17, 2026, bringing together healthcare professionals, policymakers, birth workers, advocates, thought leaders and Black preemie families to advance more equitable maternal and neonatal care.
The conference takes place during Prematurity Awareness Month, two days after World Prematurity Day on Nov. 15.
According to the March of Dimes, nearly 380,000 babies were born prematurely in the United States in 2024. The national preterm birth rate was 10.4%, compared with 14.7% among babies born to Black mothers.
Five Years of Impact: From Lived Experience to Systems Change
For Once Upon A Preemie, these disparities represent more than statistics. They represent families navigating premature birth, neonatal intensive care and healthcare systems that do not always reflect their experiences or needs.
Founded by Jenné Johns, MPH, a health equity leader, author and mother of a micro-preemie, Once Upon A Preemie works to ensure Black preemie families are heard, supported and represented in decisions that affect maternal and neonatal care.
Through healthcare workforce development, professional education, family empowerment and policy advocacy, the organization has worked to elevate family experiences while helping healthcare professionals and decision-makers understand what equitable, respectful and family-centered care requires.
Its advocacy has also reached national policy spaces, including participation in five Congressional Black Caucus panels focused on Black maternal health and neonatal equity.
“Five years ago, we asked healthcare leaders to listen to Black families. Today, we’re asking what changed because they listened,” said Johns, president and founder of Once Upon A Preemie. “Awareness matters, but awareness without action doesn’t change a mother’s experience in a hospital or a baby’s experience in the NICU. Meeting the moment means taking what we know and turning it into better care, stronger systems and better outcomes for families.”
Meeting the Moment: Reimagining Our Future
The fifth annual conference builds on that work by challenging healthcare leaders and communities to move beyond identifying disparities and toward solutions informed by evidence, professional expertise and the lived experiences of families.
Programming will address:
Respectful, equitable maternal and neonatal care
Healthcare workforce development and family-centered care
The importance of partnering with Black fathers
Preemie skin health and feeding
Caregiver wellness and family support
Systems-, community- and family-level approaches to improving care
Through keynote presentations, panel discussions, breakout workshops and a fireside chat, participants will examine how knowledge and lived experience can inform meaningful changes in healthcare delivery, policy and practice.
For Johns, the conference is both a milestone and a challenge to the broader maternal and neonatal health community: Progress must be measured not only by increased awareness, but by improvements in the care and experiences of families.
Conference Details
Event: 5th Annual Black Maternal Health and Neonatal Equity Conference
Theme: Meeting the Moment: Reimagining Our Future
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026
Time: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Location: Loews Philadelphia Hotel, 1200 Market St., Philadelphia, PA
Registration: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/5th-annual-once-upon-a-preemie-conference-black-maternal-health-and-neonatal-equity
About Once Upon A Preemie, Inc.
Once Upon A Preemie, Inc. is a Black woman-led nonprofit advancing maternal and neonatal equity by centering the lived experiences of Black preemie families. Through healthcare workforce development, family empowerment, education and policy advocacy, the organization works to improve healthcare experiences and advance more equitable outcomes for Black birthing people, premature babies and NICU families.
Learn more at https://onceuponapreemie.org/.
Theresa Spencer
Vintage Green Communications
+1 267-997-3354
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