As a maternal health equity advocate, LeJeune Johnson, LCSW-S, has partnered with Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRCs) across the United States, to elevate the use of community-centered storytelling through informant interviews. She currently serves as a national trainer and consultant with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), helping jurisdictions integrate trauma-informed, culturally responsive approaches into their maternal mortality case reviews.

Informant interviews are a powerful qualitative data tool  that is increasingly being used to gather in-depth narratives about the circumstances surrounding a maternal or infant death. These interviews—often conducted by trained professionals such as nurses and social workers—engage next of kin, loved ones, or individuals closely connected to the deceased. Through personal accounts and lived experiences, these conversations reveal social, emotional, systemic, and environmental factors that are often missing from clinical records.

By weaving these firsthand accounts into case review processes, informant interviews illuminate crucial dynamics such as racial bias, provider-patient communication gaps, gaps in care continuity, and structural barriers to accessing timely and respectful healthcare. This narrative-based approach deepens understanding, strengthens committee recommendations, and supports the design of more equitable, prevention-driven responses.

Informant interviews also foster trust and community engagement by centering the voices of those most impacted—turning grief into guidance, and stories into systemic change. These interviews should be: 

LeJeune Johnson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with several years of clinical expertise. She has spoken on national platforms for The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Mississippi State Department of Health, Jackson State University, as well as many other institutions. Subject matter includes maternal and infant health, health equity, social welfare and mental health.