Explore every episode of the podcast The Science Chick Report: Evidence You Can Use for Real-World Women's Health
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
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| Practical Strategies Providers Can Use to Support Mothers (Part 1) | 11 Mar 2026 | 00:25:10 | |
Did you know that some of the most effective ways to support mothers experiencing postpartum depression may not involve medication at all? In this episode of The Science Chick Report, Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett explores practical, non-medical strategies that healthcare providers and community practitioners can use to support mothers experiencing postpartum depression. Many professionals want to help but feel limited by lack of funding, training, or access to specialized mental health services. Dr. Kendall-Tackett explains that even within those constraints, there are meaningful steps providers can take to make a difference. She begins by encouraging practitioners to focus on what is possible within their scope of practice. Screening for postpartum depression is an important first step, but it should always be paired with a plan for referral and support. Mapping local resources such as mental health providers, domestic violence services, and community support programs can help practitioners connect mothers to the help they need. The episode then introduces the first of several non-medical interventions mothers can try themselves. Dr. Kendall-Tackett explains the growing research on omega-3 fatty acids, particularly DHA and EPA, and how these nutrients may help reduce inflammation, support brain health, and lower the risk of depression and preterm birth. For doulas, childbirth educators, nurses, and community health workers, this episode offers practical tools and science-based insights for supporting maternal mental health when traditional treatment options are limited. In This Episode:
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Resource and Links The Science Chick Report
Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett Mentioned
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| The Edinburgh Scale vs. PHQ: What’s Best for Postpartum Care | 11 Feb 2026 | 00:37:02 | |
Choosing the right screening tool for postpartum depression is more than just a clinical decision — it’s a key step that impacts what happens next for new mothers. In this episode of The Science Chick Report, Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett walks through two of the most commonly used tools for identifying postpartum depression: the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). Dr. Kendall-Tackett explains why these tools are more than just academic: their proper use directly affects the care that mothers receive. While screening scales help identify symptoms, what happens after a positive screen can determine whether a mother receives the support she needs or falls through the cracks. She also emphasizes the importance of understanding the limitations and benefits of these tools before use, especially in community-based settings. This episode is a call for healthcare providers to not only screen but also ensure that proper follow-up systems are in place. It’s about making sure mothers don’t face the frustration of an unmet expectation when they are vulnerable and in need of help. In This Episode:
Notable Quotes
Resource and Links The Science Chick Report Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett Mentioned
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| Did Healthcare Providers Suffer Moral Injuries During Covid? (Part 1) | 08 Oct 2025 | 00:19:51 | |
Did you know that during the peak of COVID-19 in New York City, 67% of frontline healthcare workers reported moderate to high levels of moral injury-related guilt? In this debut episode of The Science Chick Report, Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett takes a closer look at something we haven’t talked enough about: how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the emotional well-being of healthcare providers. Specifically, she focuses on moral injury—a term originally used in military settings—that helps explain what many frontline workers experienced during the crisis. Through a review of 36 studies from around the world, Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tacket shares how nurses, physicians, and other care providers felt deep distress when they couldn’t give the care they knew their patients needed. Many described feeling helpless, unsupported, and in some cases, betrayed by their institutions. These aren’t just signs of stress or burnout—they point to something more complex and lasting. But it’s not all bad news. Dr. Kendall-Tackett also highlights what helped: strong team support, open communication from leadership, and practical resources that made people feel valued. She wraps up the episode by encouraging organizations to reflect on what went wrong, take meaningful action, and commit to supporting their teams—not just in a crisis, but every single day. This episode is a powerful reminder that behind every hospital badge is a human being—and that caring for healthcare providers is just as essential as caring for the patients they serve. In This Episode:
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Resource and Links Podcast
Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett Referenced Studies
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| Trailer | 15 Jul 2025 | 00:01:00 | |
Hosted by Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, The Science Chick Report brings women’s health research you can trust to the people holding it all together: birth workers, lactation consultants, doulas, midwives, mental health providers, and nurses. Every episode turns the latest science into practical tools, helping you advocate, recover, and stay grounded in the work you love, even when it feels like you’re doing it alone. | |||
| The Screening Gap: Why Most Mothers Fall Through the Cracks | 28 Jan 2026 | 00:29:35 | |
What if improving perinatal mental health outcomes started not with treatment, but with asking the right questions — consistently and with a plan? And what if the real problem isn’t lack of evidence, but hesitation, fear, and vague guidelines? In this episode of The Science Chick Report, Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett focuses on one of the most essential yet neglected aspects of perinatal care: screening and assessment. This session explains why screening matters, why providers often avoid it, and what must be in place before screening can be effective. Dr. Kendall-Tackett breaks down common barriers — limited time, fear of “opening Pandora’s box,” lack of training, and uncertainty about next steps — and shows why relying on clinical judgment alone consistently fails to identify depression, anxiety, and PTSD. She contrasts vague U.S. screening recommendations with more specific international guidelines and highlights how poor implementation leads to missed opportunities for care. This episode reframes screening not as diagnosis, but as a gateway to support. For healthcare providers, community organizations, and anyone working with pregnant or postpartum women, it offers a practical, evidence-based case for why assessment must be intentional, planned, and followed by clear action. In This Episode:
Notable Quotes:
Resource and Links The Science Chick Report
Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett Mentioned
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| Military Sexual Trauma and the Silent Crisis in Perinatal Mental Health | 14 Jan 2026 | 00:19:10 | |
Do you know that simply serving in the military places women at significantly higher risk for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and adverse birth outcomes, even before combat exposure is considered? And do you know that one of the most powerful drivers of this risk is still rarely discussed in perinatal care? In this episode of The Science Chick Report, Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett shines a light on an overlooked public health crisis: the impact of military service, and specifically military sexual trauma, on perinatal mental health and birth outcomes. Drawing from large-scale studies, systematic reviews, and longitudinal data, she reveals just how profound these risks are for pregnant and postpartum veterans. Dr. Kendall-Tackett walks listeners through research showing extraordinarily high rates of prenatal and postpartum depression, PTSD, anxiety, preterm birth, and low birth weight among military women. She explains how trauma-related stress physiology affects pregnancy, why these outcomes persist even when controlling for other risk factors, and how military culture itself may contribute to vulnerability, even for women who were not directly assaulted. For healthcare providers, policymakers, and anyone working in women’s mental health, this episode is a call to move beyond treatment alone and begin addressing prevention, screening, and systemic change. For military mothers, it is validation and proof that these outcomes are not personal failures, but predictable responses to chronic stress and trauma. In This Episode:
Notable Quotes:
Resource and Links The Science Chick Report
Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett Mentioned
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| Helping Mothers Heal | 31 Dec 2025 | 00:33:05 | |
Birth can be life changing in beautiful ways, but it can also leave women carrying fear, confusion, or unresolved emotional pain, especially when the experience felt rushed, dismissive, or frightening. In this episode of The Science Chick Report, Dr. Kathleen Kendall Tackett sits down with trauma specialist Dr. George Rhoades to explore how Trauma First Aid, a method used around the world in disaster settings, can be applied to perinatal women who have endured traumatic births, medical mistreatment, or overwhelming postpartum experiences. Dr. Rhoades explains how Trauma First Aid works by creating a safe space for mothers to share their story, helping them identify the problems left behind by the experience, and guiding them toward realistic solutions that restore a sense of control and grounding. Together, he and Dr. Kathleen examine the subtle ways birth trauma shows up, from unmedicated C sections to cold or dismissive medical care, and why early, compassionate support can prevent long term psychological harm. This conversation offers a clear and practical framework for doulas, nurses, lactation consultants, and anyone supporting new mothers. It also provides powerful validation to women who may smile on the outside but feel shaken on the inside, reminding them that their experience deserves to be heard and healed. In This Episode:
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Resources and Links The Science Chick Report
Dr. George Rhoades Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett Mentioned
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| Cry It Out or Burnout: The Hidden Cost of Sleep Training (Part 2) | 17 Dec 2025 | 00:27:53 | |
Forget everything you think you know about infant sleep. What if the secret to better rest for the whole family isn't about training your baby, but about tuning into their needs? And what if science shows that breastfeeding, often blamed for maternal exhaustion, is actually a key to more sleep and lower depression risk? In this groundbreaking follow-up episode of The Science Chick Report, Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett moves beyond the critique of "cry it out" to present the powerful, evidence-based alternative. She dismantles the simplistic sleep-training model by exploring the complex web of factors that truly influence infant sleep from prenatal stress and parental mental health to attachment security and feeding methods. Dr. Kendall-Tackett reveals stunning research that turns conventional wisdom on its head: exclusively breastfeeding mothers report more total sleep and better mental health than those who mix-feed or formula feed. She explains how responsive, attachment-based care creates a positive feedback loop of security and regulation, leading to better sleep outcomes for everyone. If you are a new parent lost in the fog of exhaustion, or a healthcare provider looking for compassionate, science-backed guidance, this episode offers a revolutionary and empowering guide. It’s time to stop fighting biology and start working with it. In This Episode:
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Resource and Links The Science Chick Report
Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett Mentioned
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| Cry It Out or Burnout: The Hidden Cost of Sleep Training (Part 1) | 03 Dec 2025 | 00:29:05 | |
What if everything you’ve been told about infant sleep is rooted in a century-old theory that dismissed love as unscientific? Are “cry-it-out” techniques really helping families, or just fueling a billion-dollar parenting industry built on exhaustion and guilt? In this eye-opening episode of The Science Chick Report, the first of a special two-part series, Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett takes a clear, evidence-based look at the world of sleep training, challenging both the parenting industry and the pediatric establishment. She traces its origins to the behaviorist movement of the 1920s, which urged parents not to comfort or emotionally engage with their babies in the name of “science.” Dr. Kendall-Tackett contrasts this outdated view with attachment theory and evolutionary biology, showing that responsive caregiving is not spoiling—it is essential for survival and healthy development. Through a critical review of multiple studies, she asks whether sleep training truly helps babies sleep better or simply teaches them to stop signaling distress. If you are a new parent, healthcare provider, or anyone who has ever been told to let a baby “cry it out,” this episode will empower you to question conventional wisdom and make informed, compassionate choices for your family. In This Episode:
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Resource and Links The Science Chick Report
Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett Mentioned
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| Did Healthcare Providers Suffer Moral Injuries During Covid? (Part 2) | 14 Nov 2025 | 00:25:02 | |
What happens when the healers become the wounded? When doctors and nurses are forced to make choices that violate their deepest ethical vows? In this compelling episode of The Science Chick Report, Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett explores the concept of moral injury, a term once reserved for military contexts but now emerging as a crucial framework for understanding the psychological and ethical toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare providers. Drawing from 46 empirical studies, Dr. Kendall-Tackett breaks down how physicians, nurses, and frontline workers faced impossible ethical choices, from resource shortages to patient isolation policies. She explains how these experiences overlapped with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) yet carried a distinct moral and spiritual dimension. Through striking quotes from clinicians and international studies, she unpacks seven defining themes of moral injury: ethics, high-stakes decisions, moral transgressions, betrayal, psychological wounds, spiritual wounds, and reconciliation, revealing the deep emotional cost of caregiving in crisis. The episode also highlights promising therapeutic pathways for recovery, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Trauma-Informed Guilt Reduction Therapy. If you care about the mental and moral well-being of those who care for others, this episode is essential listening. In This Episode:
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Resource & Links Podcast
Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett Mentioned
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| How Clinicians Can Support VBAC (Part 2) | 05 Nov 2025 | 00:38:03 | |
What are the real barriers to VBAC, and are they evidence-based or built on fear and bias? In Part 2 of this powerful two-part series, Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett continues her conversation with Australian midwife, researcher, and author Dr. Hazel Keedle. They dive deeper into the systemic, emotional, and clinical roadblocks that women face when planning a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). From BMI bias to short interpregnancy intervals, big babies to special scars, Dr. Keedle unpacks the often-coercive medical narratives and exposes the power imbalances that still plague maternity care. She shares groundbreaking insights from her research and emphasizes how control, trust, and informed choice are key to transforming birth trauma into empowered birth experiences, whether or not a VBAC is achieved. If you care about evidence-based, respectful, trauma-informed maternity care, this episode isa must listen. In This Episode:
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Our Guest Dr. Hazel Keedle is a Senior Lecturer of Midwifery at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University. With over 25 years of midwifery experience, she completed her PhD in 2021, focusing on vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). Hazel is the author of Birth After Caesarean and The VBAC Clinician’s Guide. Her work blends research and lived experience to promote trauma-informed, evidence-based maternity care. Resource and Links Podcast
Dr. Hazel Keedle Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett Mentioned
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| How Clinicians Can Support VBAC (Part 1) | 22 Oct 2025 | 00:24:22 | |
Ever wondered what drives women to choose vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC)? In this powerful first part of a two-part series of The Science Chick Report, Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett sits down with Australian midwife, researcher, and author Dr. Hazel Keedle for an honest, eye-opening conversation about the challenges surrounding birth after cesarean, also known as VBAC. Drawing from her own experience, groundbreaking research, and two widely acclaimed books, Dr. Keedle explains why VBAC isn’t just a medical choice; it is a deeply personal and often political journey toward reclaiming power and autonomy. Together, they dive into the complex mix of triumph and trauma that many people face in maternity care. They talk candidly about birth trauma, debunk some of the most stubborn myths about VBAC, and call out coercive practices that still get in the way of informed choice. This episode is a must-listen for anyone passionate about respectful, trauma-informed maternity care and making sure women’s voices are truly heard, especially in a system that too often tries to quiet them. Be sure to tune in to Part 2, where Dr. Kendall-Tackett and Dr. Keedle continue this vital conversation and explore practical ways to support women on their VBAC journeys. In This Episode:
Notable Quotes:
Our Guest Dr. Hazel Keedle is a Senior Lecturer of Midwifery at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University. With over 25 years of midwifery experience, she completed her PhD in 2021, focusing on vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). Hazel is the author of Birth After Caesarean and The VBAC Clinician’s Guide. Her work blends research and lived experience to promote trauma-informed, evidence-based maternity care. Resource and Links Podcast
Dr. Hazel Keedle Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett Mentioned
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