DREF - Research Matters Initiative

DREF Research Matters wishes everyone a Happy Pride Month! For us, celebrating Pride means honoring the history 🏳️‍🌈, empowering the present 👏🏾, and continuing to build a healthier future for everyone 🫱🏿‍🫲🏾.

This month serves as a call to action to address the unique health challenges LGBTQ+ individuals face—from higher rates of mental health struggles, to ongoing disparities in HIV care, and challenging access to affirming healthcare.

We all have a role in breaking the silence, challenging stigma, and making sure healthcare & medical research is respectful and rooted in dignity 🫂 🫶🏾 We all deserve to feel seen, valued, and protected.

As we celebrate this month of love and liberation, let us do so by elevating our voices and taking action to fight for a healthier future for all - Take the first step at the link in our bio! ♥️🔬

76,000. That is the devastating number of mothers we lose every single year to preeclampsia 💔

The other number that should make us all demand change? 60%. Sixty percent of those deaths are entirely preventable. That means tens of thousands of women should still be here holding their babies.

On this World Preeclampsia Day, we aren’t just sharing a few statistics – We’re sounding an alarm🚨 No one’s life should be at risk when bringing a new life into this world.

To bring that number down to zero, it requires us to act fast: We must listen to mothers, because dismissing symptoms costs lives 🗣️ We must also learn the warning signs—like severe headaches, vision changes, and sudden swelling—and take them seriously.

And most crucially, we must fuel medical research 🔬 Preeclampsia is still a mystery, but research unlocks better predictive tools, safer treatments, and ultimately, a cure - It moves us from reactive care to lifesaving prevention. Click the link 🔗 in our bio to see how you can contribute to these kinds of discoveries.

We honor the mothers we’ve lost by fighting fiercely for the ones we can still save. Together, through awareness, advocacy, and research, we can rewrite the future of maternal health. 💜

1 in 5 Americans experience a mental health illness every year? 🧠🫂

May is Awareness Month & DREF Research Matters wants to take this moment to remind you that the best is yet to come. This year’s theme, “More Good Days, Together” is a reminder that our greatest strength is connection between one another.

Together, we can give the right support at the right time, and shape advocacy, education, and engagement to make more good days possible for us all ☀️✨

Let’s continue to stand together and remind the world that we are not alone 💚 Visit the link in our bio to learn how you can increase mental health and wellness for generations to come!

If you or someone you care about is looking for help:
💻 NAMI.org/help
📞 988