< PreviousTori Bowie was known for her athlet- ic prowess on the track. She captured three medals at the 2016 Summer Olym- pics in Rio de Janeiro, including a gold medal as the anchor of the women’s 4 x 100-meter relay team. She made headlines again this May when she died at the age of 32 due to complications from childbirth. “When I learned of Tori Bowie’s death, I shared the news with my project team because I felt that it helped confirm the need to engage African American women in research studies to develop solutions towards improving maternal health outcomes,” said Katilya Ware, an assistant professor in Auburn’s College of Nursing. Pregnancy-related deaths occur during or within one year of the end of pregnancy from a complication or chain of events initiated or aggravated by the physiological effects of pregnancy. “In the United States, African Amer- ican women experience pregnancy-re- lated deaths at a rate three to four times higher than white women,” added Ware. “Engaging African American women, family members or other support per- sons in research is critical in mitigating the continued increase in these deaths that has remained persistent over the last two decades.” Bowie’s death also made Ware think of a pregnancy-related death in her own family. In 2011, Ware’s 30-year-old sister, Kanika, died from an amniotic fluid em- bolism. She wasn’t famous like Bowie, but her pregnancy-related death was just as tragic. Because of her sister and the compli- cations other family members endured during pregnancy, Ware has devoted her research at Auburn to improving maternal health outcomes in Alabama. In 2020, Alabama had the third-highest maternal mortality rate in the nation. For her project, “Engaging African American Women in the South in Pa- tient-Centered Outcomes Research,” Ware received funding from the Pa- tient-Centered Outcomes Research In- stitute (PCORI) to build a consortium to engage African American women with lo- cal faith-based leaders and health experts to improve maternal health outcomes. Thirty African American women who are either pregnant or delivered within the last five years are currently working with the group, alongside a family mem- ber and/or support person. “Most pregnancy-related deaths are preventable,” said Ware. “Recognition of warning signs for symptoms that oc- cur during pregnancy or after delivery is essential in receiving a prompt diagnosis and treatment.” Ware is not alone in her attempt to improve the health of Alabamians. Sev- eral faculty members in the college are specifically conducting research with racial and ethnic minority groups, those who experience poor health dispropor- tionately higher than others. Assistant Professor Sarah Watts is seeking answers to improve the health outcomes of the local Hispanic popu- lation. In general, Hispanics have lim- ited access to health care, which leads to poor health outcomes and increased susceptibility to certain disease states. To address this, Watts secured fund- ing from PCORI to support her project, “Engaging and Training Stakeholders to Participate in Patient-Centered Re- search to Reduce Obesity in Hispanic Women,” and engaged with Hispanic women, their families, community part- ners and health care providers. A key partner for Watts has been Oda- lys Silvera, executive director of Esperan- za House, a local non-profit organization aimed at improving the quality of life for Hispanic children and their families. The pair collaborate with leaders across Lee County, Alabama, to improve access to health care for these families. “I believe Sarah’s project is very im- portant to our local community and Hispanic women across the country, as many are facing numerous challenges and are in poor health,” said Silvera. Another key partner is East Alabama Health. As Watts and her team identify Hispanics who could benefit from access to preventative care, they arrange for Opelika’s Neighborhood Mobile Well- ness Clinic to visit these local communi- ties. Victor Chavez’s visit to the clinic in his neighborhood likely saved his life. Watts and Ware are also working with the hospital to create a program to im- prove prenatal care for pregnant wom- en, especially vulnerable populations. “Many of these women arrive at the hospital to deliver with minimal prenatal care, which can lead to poor outcomes,” said Watts. “We aim to change this.” As Alabama continues to be ranked one of the lowest states in the country in overall health, faculty in the College of Nursing are striving to change that and make Alabama a better place to live and work. Improving Health in Alabama BY AMY WEAVER 50 IMPROVING HEALTH IN ALABAMA AUBURNTIGERS.COM Auburn Nursing Assistant Professors Katilya Ware and Sarah Watts are conducting similar research projects to address the health needs of under- served populations in the area. Community partners and local health experts are a vital part of research projects at the Auburn College of Nursing. NURSING FACULTY ENLIST COMMUNITY SUPPORT TO ADDRESS HEALTH CARE NEEDS OF ALABAMA’S MOST VULNERABLECardiacandVascularAwards from EastAlabamaMedicalCenteristheONLYhospital inAlabamatobeamongthetop5% ofhospitalsnationwideforcardiacsurgery! 2023Women'sChoiceAwardsBestHospitalsfor CancerCare,Orthopedics,andObstetrics Congratulationstoourstaff forearningtheseprestigiousawards! ServingOpelika,Auburn,Valleyandan11-countycoveragearea52 MEET THE COACHES: DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR ROB ROBERTS A college head coach for 11 seasons, Auburn defensive co- ordinator Ron Roberts knows firsthand the value of loyal lieu- tenants. “There are things you want to keep off the head coach’s desk,” Roberts said. “He’s got a lot of his own things to be con- cerned with. If anything, you’re trying to make his job easier.” Roberts’ teams at Delta State and Southeastern Louisiana won six conference championships in 11 seasons from 2007-17. “The value of having head coaching experience means you understand that when things happen, you [assistant coach- es] may not know all the reasons why,” said Roberts, the Gulf South Coach of the Year at Delta State in 2007 and 2008. “He does, so just listen and do your job.” Roberts came to the Plains in December, joining Hugh Freeze’s first Auburn staff after three seasons coordinating the defense at Baylor. In his fourth decade of coaching football, the former Ten- nessee-Martin linebacker started as a high school coach in Tennessee and California in the early 1990s and earned his head coaching opportunity after serving as a defensive coor- dinator at four college programs. “I knew by the time I was 10 or 12 I wanted to be a football coach,” Roberts said. “I love the game and I wanted to be part of it. “My high school and college coaches made an impact on my life. I started out as a high school coach because I wanted to impact young men and be a positive influence on their lives. “I love it. The interaction with the players on a day-to-day basis. It’s always something different, it’s always something new. That keeps you young. It’s never the same thing year to year. The game changes year to year. It’s an ever-evolving pro- cess.” In the era of tempo offenses and run-pass options, Roberts seeks to stay one step ahead of each innovation, while relying on the things that have won football games since the days of leather helmets. “You’re still going to win on fundamentals and techniques,” Roberts said. “It’s still big. No matter what you do it out of, it’s going to come down to fundamentals, techniques and effort you play the game with. “No matter what you do and how complicated the schemes get, and things you have to evolve to, you can’t get away from those basic foundations that are going to allow you to win.” When Auburn fans fill Jordan-Hare Stadium this season, Roberts wants them to witness the Tigers’ effort and enthusi- asm. “No. 1, I want them to see when they turn the film on or peo- ple come watch us play, that they can see the passion we have for the game in the way we play it,” he said. “That needs to be evident, and it needs to stick out.” While focusing on the 2023 season, Roberts and his fellow assistant coaches are constantly recruiting prospective stu- dent-athletes who will arrive in 2024 and beyond, preparing players for success in every area of their lives. “It goes back to Coach Freeze. We’re going to do it in a fam- ily atmosphere,” Roberts said. “You’ve got to do your job in a way that they know you care about them and you’re looking out for their best interest.” The parents of three adult children, Ron and Didi Roberts are now centrally located between their oldest son, Reed, the assistant strength coach at Georgia State, daughter Reilly, a nurse in Louisiana, and youngest son, Ryan, a quarterback at McNeese State in Louisiana. “Great community, great place for recruiting. It’s a great town and my wife and I love it,” he said. “The people have been outstanding and that’s always what’s going to make a place. It’s not really the environment, it’s the people and the culture.” ROB ROBERTS BY JEFF SHEARER AUBURNTIGERS.COM MEET THE COACHES: DEFENSIVE COORDINATORDINE IN // DELIVERY // CURBSIDE // CATERING Opelika 2664 Enterprise Drive, Opelika, AL 36801 GO TIGERS!54 2023 STADIUM MAP 2023 STADIUM MAP AUBURNTIGERS.COM SOUTH CLUB BROADWAY CLUB NORTH CLUB 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 12 14 14 13 151617181920 383940414243 3744 44 45 46 46 36 37 35 35 21 21 22 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 100 99 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 AUBURN VISITOR 23 23 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 9 8U 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 20 21 BILL & CONNIE NEVILLE LOBBY 0 EXIT GATE STUDENT GATE STUDENT GATE EAST UPPER DECK ACCESS ONLY SOUTH SERVICE GATE FOOTBALL RECRUITING SOUTH DONAHUE DRIVE HEISMAN DRIVE HD VIDEOBOARD NEVILLE ARENA MIKE & JANE McCARTNEY BRICK PLAZA TICKET OFFICE SALES & PICK-UP GAMEDAY TRANSIT & FANFEST (NS PASS) NORTH STADIUM LOT VISITOR TICKET SALES HARBERT FAMILY RECRUITING CENTER AUBURN PLAYER GUEST EXIT GATEVISITING TEAM LOCKER ROOM SUITE TICKET PICK-UP STUDENT GATE SOUTH NORTH WEST EAST BROADWAY CLUB & MEDIA CREDENTIALS TIGER WALK CLUB ENTRANCE HIGH SCHOOL COACHES 11 10 TIGERWALK TICKET SALES TICKET SALES BROADWAY CLUB ONLY HRC ONLY ADA SHUTTLE PICKUP 1U VISITING PLAYER GUEST & VISITING FAN TICKET PICK-UP ADA SHUTTLE PICKUP NORTH SERVICE GATE OLYMPIC SPORT RECRUITING Entry GateElevator First Aid Tiger Babies LEGEND Charging Station Student Section Seating bowl closed to non-students Team Shop Medical Bag Entry Special Access Statues Guest Services ADA Shuttle56 2023 AUBURN PARKING MAP 2023 AUBURN PARKING MAP AUBURNTIGERS.COM2023 AUBURN PARKING MAP LEGEND 57 2023 AUBURN PARKING LEGEND AUBURNTIGERS.COM© 2022 Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc. 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