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National recognition creates new opportunities to explore relational health, early intervention, and family engagement in maternal well-being.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 21, 2026  |  Maryland

Pathways Institute for Crisis Intervention and Education (PICIE) is pleased to announce its selection as one of 50 organizations advancing to the Training Phase of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Connecting the Community for Maternal Health 2.0 Challenge.

This achievement represents a significant milestone in PICIE’s evolving research mission: advancing the understanding of whole-person well-being through the study of psychological, emotional, social, spiritual, and relational health.

PICIE’s selected initiative, “Empowering Fathers, Strengthening Maternal Health,” proposes to explore how paternal engagement, relational well-being, and early identification of support needs may contribute to maternal health during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

From a Vision of Intervention to a Mission of Research

Established in 2012, PICIE began with a commitment to educating, supporting, and strengthening individuals and families navigating psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual distress.

Today, that founding commitment continues to inform an expanding research agenda focused on understanding the whole person, with particular attention to the interconnected dimensions of human experience and the relationships individuals maintain with themselves and others.

At the center of this work is the premise that symptoms and behaviors alone cannot adequately explain human well-being. Meaning, identity, cognition, emotion, volition, morality, and relational capacity are distinct yet interrelated dimensions worth examining together.

This perspective provides an emerging conceptual foundation for research exploring relational health, readiness for intervention, and opportunities for earlier, more responsive support.

The Researcher’s Perspective

Alice Delaney, Ph.D., founder of PICIE, reflected on the significance of the organization’s selection:

“Pathways Institute for Crisis Intervention and Education was born from a vision to educate, promote awareness, and ease the burden of uncertainty experienced by individuals and families encountering psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual distress.

At a time when stigma was prevalent and access to supportive services was limited, my mission was—and remains—to prioritize the whole person rather than simply the symptoms or behaviors.

Central to this philosophy is the recognition that our relationships, both within ourselves and with others, profoundly influence our well-being. These relationships can strengthen or destabilize us, contribute to healing or deepen distress.

This understanding is particularly meaningful in maternal and infant health. As an interventionist and researcher, I believe identifying relational challenges, understanding readiness for support, and recognizing early opportunities for intervention in pregnancy may support healthier family relationships and improved maternal well-being.

My hope is that this research will help us better understand not only where support is needed, but when and how intervention may be most meaningful.”

Exploring Relational Health in Maternal and Infant Well-Being

Through its proposed maternal health initiative, PICIE seeks to explore how family relationships, paternal involvement, and psychosocial experiences may inform community-centered approaches to maternal well-being.

The proposed work reflects PICIE’s broader research interest in examining the whole person through interconnected domains rather than treating individual aspects of human experience in isolation.

Participation in the NIH Challenge Training Phase will provide opportunities for research capacity development, community engagement planning, and preparation of a competitive proposal for consideration in the next phase.

Looking Forward: A Commitment to Research and Discovery

PICIE views this selection as an important step in its long-term commitment to developing, evaluating, and advancing whole-person approaches to understanding human well-being.

As its research agenda evolves, the organization seeks to strengthen connections between conceptual research, community participation, and practical intervention strategies that may inform future programs and services.

About Pathways Institute for Crisis Intervention and Education

Founded in 2012, Pathways Institute for Crisis Intervention and Education (PICIE) is a nonprofit organization advancing education, supportive intervention, and an evolving research agenda focused on whole-person well-being. Its work examines the psychological, emotional, social, spiritual, and relational dimensions of human experience, emphasizing community engagement, early identification of needs, and opportunities for meaningful intervention.

Official announcement: https://www.herox.com/CommunityMaternalHealth2.0/update/8104

 

PICIE has advanced to the Training Phase of the NIH Challenge. Subsequent advancement and funding are subject to the competition’s selection process.