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Vu-An Foster studied at William Paterson University, where she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Health. She has recently studied at Montclair State University, where she has completed a Master of Public Health Degree concentrating in Health Systems Administration and Policy. She plans to obtain her DrPH.

 

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. Soon after, she turned her emerging organization into a nonprofit to educate women of all races and ethnicities on strategies to cope with pregnancy losses and miscarriages.  Additionally, LA2L became a partner of Nurture, NJ-- the statewide campaign, and Vu-An became committed to promoting policy development regarding infant mortality while addressing other racial disparities that disproportionately affect BlPOC women regarding health equity, implicit bias, and structural racism.   

 

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 is the former New Jersey ambassador with Count the Kicks, where she educates expectant parents on the importance of kick-counting.  

 

Vu-An Foster 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.

 

Outside of Vu-An Foster's work with Life After 2 Losses, she serves as an expert panelist for organizations such as American Public Health Association (APHA), combining academics, professional, and lived experience. Vu-An is a business owner of Vu-An Foster, LLC -- a professional consulting firm that provides expert advice in the form of speaking engagements, workshops, and webinars in areas related to public health focusing on Mental Health, Maternal Child Health and Health System Administration and Policy.    

 

As a Black woman who has experienced multiple preventable pregnancy losses and survived a life-threatening postpartum pregnancy complication, she remains committed to striving for systemic change in honor of her daughter, babies, and mothers taken too soon.