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Babies develop both physically and mentally while in utero — so it likely comes as no surprise that the use of drugs and alcohol by a mother during pregnancy can negatively impact the child, often leading to lifelong challenges. Sometimes the damage is done before a mother even knows she\u2019s pregnant. Resources to prevent such problems or maintain a healthy pregnancy can be difficult to come by, and Baylor professor Danielle Parrish<\/a> is working hard to change that.<\/p>\n Dr. Parrish, an associate professor of social work, joined the Houston campus<\/a> of Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work<\/a> in 2018. She began her career in social work as a clinical social worker in a large public mental health system, where she provided infant mental health, outpatient mental health, and juvenile justice mental health services. It was there that she was inspired to bridge the research-practice gap in social work programs.<\/p>\n \u201cMy calling into a social work career was guided by my desire to love others as God does,\u201d says Parrish. \u201cTo me, this means protecting some of society\u2019s most vulnerable and marginalized, and finding ways to help others.\u201d<\/p>\n While at Baylor, Parrish has worked on a variety of research projects, but she is most known for her work preventing substance-exposed pregnancies. One recent study, CHOICES4Health Intervention<\/a>, focused on reducing the risk of substance-exposed pregnancies before women become pregnant using a prevention intervention, like counseling or physician referrals.\u00a0Aside from using contraception, research found that screening and short, informational sessions with women of childbearing age were effective in reducing the risk of substance-exposed pregnancy.<\/p>\n