Maternal Health Task Force
The Maternal Health Task Force strives to create a strong, well-informed and collaborative community of individuals focused on ending preventable maternal mortality and morbidity worldwide.
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Blog
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Measuring Person-Centered Maternal Health Care
Researchers have developed and validated a scale for measuring person-centered maternity care, a standardized tool that researchers, program managers from government or health facilities and health providers themselves can use to assess the whole patient experience…read more
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How Mongolia Revolutionized Reproductive Health for Nomadic Women
In the past few decades, Mongolia has made dramatic improvements in maternal health. Through a series of governmental reforms and campaigns, the country has decreased its maternal mortality rate, which tends to be higher in nomadic communities…read more
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Disrespect and Abuse During Childbirth in Ethiopia: Comparing Women’s Reported Experiences and Researchers’ Direct Observations
According to a new study from Ethiopia, researchers observed substantially higher frequencies of disrespect and abuse (D&A) during interactions between health care providers and women than those reported by women themselves. Notably, the study found that women who experienced any complications or whose newborn faced any complications were over 15 times more likely to report any D&A than women who did not face such complications…read more
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Leading Experts Discuss Fistula, Safe Surgery and the Way Forward
While safe surgical practices can improve maternal health outcomes, surgery can pose its own risks and complications. The Maternal Health Task Force’s Kayla McGowan recently had the pleasure of interviewing two leading experts in the field of fistula and safe surgery, Dr. Thomas Raassen and Carrie Ngongo. Read key takeaways for the maternal health community….read more
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From the Archives | Female Genital Mutilation and Implications for Sexual, Reproductive and Maternal Health
Today is International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). As of 2010, an estimated 100-140 million women have undergone FGM globally, putting them at increased risk of experiencing numerous short-term and long-term sexual, reproductive and maternal health outcomes…read more
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New Opportunities in Maternal Newborn Health
Interested in a position in reproductive, maternal, newborn, child or adolescent health? Every month, the Maternal Health Task Force rounds up job and internship postings from around the globe. In this month’s roundup, we are featuring positions with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Jhpiego, UNFPA and other organizations…read more
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New Request for Proposals on Improving Maternal Health Measurement
The Women and Health Initiative at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health is pleased to announce a request for proposals to fund research aimed at testing and validating key maternal health indicators that are not routinely collected and reported at national and global levels. Proposals are due by 28 February 2018…read more
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In Jamaica, Obesity Is Linked to Higher Risk of Maternal Death
While Jamaica has seen a slow decline in maternal deaths, “Indirect causes account for an increasing proportion of these deaths,” said Lovney Kanguru, lead author of a recent population based study examining the consequences of overweight and obesity for Jamaican women of reproductive age…read more
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Maternal Health Progress in Post-Conflict Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste should be applauded for its progress in maternal health over the last decade-and-a-half, serving as an inspiring model for other low-income, post-conflict countries to follow. A substantial amount of work remains for Timor-Leste to achieve the maternal mortality targets under the Sustainable Development Goals, but it is clear that the country is on the path to success…read more
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Integrating Family Planning Into Postpartum Care: Long-Acting Reversible Contraception
In a recent paper published in Maternal Health, Neonatology and Perinatology, Margo Harrison and Robert Goldenberg presented an overview of published research on immediate postpartum use of long-acting reversible contracption in low- and middle-income countries…read more