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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The Lancet Maternal Health Series: Quality Maternity Care for Every Woman, Everywhere
The Lancet Maternal Health Series published in September 2016 contains six papers highlighting the importance of improving access to high quality maternal health care for all women across the globe. In paper 6, “Quality maternity care for every woman, everywhere: A call to action,” Koblinsky and colleagues offer five priority actions for achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) global target of fewer than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030 and promoting maternal health equity within and among countries…read more
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Maternal and Neonatal Health in Africa at MDG End: Open Access Papers from the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics
Last month, the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics published a special issue, “Maternal and Neonatal Health in Africa at MDG End: Availability of and Access to Maternal Health Services, and Outcomes of Intervention Strategies.” The series of open access papers discusses the extent to which African countries have invested in maternal and neonatal health programs; facilitators of and barriers to health service utilization; and changes in maternal and neonatal health outcomes during the Millennium Development Goals era…read more
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Midwives’ Voices, Midwives’ Realities: A 2016 Report from the World Health Organization
In collaboration with the White Ribbon Alliance and the International Confederation of Midwives, the World Health Organization recently published the 2016 “Midwives’ Voices, Midwives’ Realities” report. Midwives play a crucial role in providing high quality care to mothers and newborns around the world, but they face a number of barriers that have not been adequately reflected in research, policy and practice…read more
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Communities Demanding Quality Maternity Care
George Nkhoma is a midwife in Malawi. Growing up without a mother – because she died while giving birth to him – has made George passionate about the state of maternal and newborn care in the country. The zealous midwife is now an advocate for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) for White Ribbon Alliance (WRA) in Malawi, and his community recognizes him as being exemplary in his work as he is very helpful and, unlike other midwives, treats them with respect. But George is often seen as the exception…read more
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New Jobs 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. This month, we are featuring jobs at The White Ribbon Alliance, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Management Sciences for Health and more!…read more
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World AIDS Day: 10 Key Papers on HIV/AIDS and Maternal Health
According to data from the Global Burden of Disease Study, in 2015, HIV/AIDS was the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age around the world. While estimates differ depending on the particular global context, a 2013 review concluded that approximately 5% of pregnancy-related deaths worldwide and 25% of pregnancy-related deaths in sub-Saharan Africa are attributable to HIV. To mark World AIDS Day on December 1st, we compiled a list of 10 key papers related to HIV/AIDS and maternal health…read more
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Wilson Center Event: Closing the Gaps of Maternal Health in Conflict and Crises
We are excited to announce the upcoming policy dialogue, Closing the Gaps of Maternal Health in Conflict and Crises. The event will take place at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. (and online!) on Thursday, December 8, 2016. This dialogue is part of the Maternal Health Task Force’s Advancing Policy Dialogue on Maternal Health Series, in partnership with UNFPA and the Wilson Center…read more
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Thinking Differently About Innovations for Healthy Women, Newborns and Children
Concern Worldwide and John Snow, Inc. hosted a forum this month in Washington, D.C. to spotlight new and promising innovations and strategies to improve the health and survival of women and children. “Think Differently: Fresh Evidence on Innovations for Healthy Women, Newborns and Children” marked the culmination of Concern Worldwide’s Innovations for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, an eight-year initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Concern and JSI discussed evidence, experiences and lessons learned along with other experts working on the frontlines of global maternal health delivery and design…read more
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The Lancet Maternal Health Series: External Shocks and Health System Innovations
The Lancet Maternal Health Series published in September 2016 contains six papers highlighting the importance of improving access to high quality maternal health care for all women across the globe. In paper 5, “Next generation maternal health: External shocks and health-system innovations,” Kruk and colleagues discuss how social, political, environmental and demographic changes will influence the future of global maternal health and highlight key health system innovations with potential for large impact…read more
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Global Leaders in Maternal and Newborn Health: Dr. Clara Menéndez (Spain and Mozambique)
Professor Clara Menéndez, one of the faculty leading the workshop, is a research professor at the Institute of Global Health at the University of Barcelona, and she was also one of the founders of the Manhica Health Research Center in Mozambique. She has spent most of her career studying how anemia, malaria and other infectious diseases affect mothers and infants. Having worked extensively in The Gambia, Tanzania and Mozambique, Prof. Menéndez serves as a consultant for the World Health Organization on malaria control in children and pregnant women…read more
