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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New “Quality of Maternal Health Care” Blog Series: Call for Submissions
The quality of care a woman receives during pregnancy, delivery and postpartum affects her health, the health of her child and the likelihood that she will seek health care in the future. The MHTF is thrilled to announce our new blog series, “Quality of Maternal Health Care”. If you are working on something related to quality of maternal health care, or if you want to share a unique perspective on this topic, please submit your blog post to us…read more
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MHTF-PLOS Collection Call for Papers: Non-Communicable Diseases and Maternal Health Around the Globe
The causes of maternal mortality are complex and often begin well before a woman goes into labor or even becomes pregnant. Improving maternal health outcomes requires a comprehensive understanding of women’s health throughout the life course. Addressing the root causes of poor maternal health is especially important given the current “obstetric transition”: In many parts of the world, we are witnessing an epidemiological shift from mostly direct causes of maternal deaths to more indirect causes. The Maternal Health Task Force and PLOS ONE are delighted to announce the call for papers for the fifth annual MHTF-PLOS Collection: “Non-Communicable Diseases and Maternal Health Around the Globe.”…read more
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Universal Children’s Day: Integrating Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
In 2015, 5.8 million children around the world died before their fifth birthday. An estimated two million of those deaths were stillbirths and 2.6 million were neonatal deaths. Globally, the leading cause of under-five mortality in 2015 was preterm birth, which is often preventable with timely, high quality care. Pregnancy, childbirth and the immediate postpartum period are critical periods, not just for mothers, but for children as well. To mark Universal Children’s Day, here is the Maternal Health Task Force’s list of top ten key papers and reports related to the integration of maternal, newborn and child health…read more
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In Tanzania, Linking Underserved Communities to Care is Saving Women and Babies
In Tanzania, about one-third of the estimated 45,000 annual newborn deaths are due to complications related to prematurity and low birth weight. Teaching women and families about low-cost, highly effective methods for preterm and low-birth weight babies, such as Kangaroo Mother Care, can help end preventable newborn deaths…read more
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Advocacy Success Story: Kenya Approves Misoprostol for PPH
For the first time, the Kenya Essential Medicines List 2016 included misoprostol in the oxytocics section, indicating its use for the prevention and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage, excessive bleeding after childbirth and a leading cause of maternal death…read more
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The Lancet Maternal Health Series: Drivers of Maternity Care in High-Income Countries
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 4, “Drivers of maternity care in high-income countries: Can health systems support women-centred care?” Shaw and colleagues review different models of maternity care, address key influential factors and offer insights into strategies for improving the quality of maternity care in high-income countries (HICs)…read more
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Improving Quality of Antenatal Care: New Guidelines From the World Health Organization (WHO)
The World Health Organization has released a new set of antenatal care recommendations to improve maternal and perinatal health worldwide. The guidelines seek to reduce the global burden of stillbirths, reduce pregnancy complications and provide all women and adolescents with a positive pregnancy experience…read more
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Global Leaders in Maternal and Newborn Health: Dr. Nosa Orobaton (Nigeria)
Dr. Nosa Orobaton, one of the faculty at the Safe Mothers and Newborns Leadership Workshop, is originally from Nigeria. He has worked all over the globe in leadership capacities at the World Health Organization (WHO), John Snow, Inc. and The Global Fund and has served in consulting roles for numerous nonprofits, businesses and governments. Dr. Orobaton is currently at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation…read more
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Upcoming Event: MHTF-PLOS Collection Launch at the Harvard Chan Leadership Studio
To mark the launch of the fourth MHTF-PLOS collection, “Neglected Populations: Decreasing Inequalities and Improving Measurement in Maternal Health,” the MHTF will be hosting a panel discussion featuring a Senior Editor at PLOS and several authors who contributed papers to the collection. The event will take place at the Leadership Studio at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health on November 21, 2016 from 12:30-1:30pm. Please RSVP to mhtf@hsph.harvard.edu…read more
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Exploring the Sustainable Development Goals in the Context of Sexual, Reproductive and Maternal Health in Africa
The African Journal of Reproductive Health recently launched a special issue on the implications of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Africa’s development. Despite notable achievements, sub-Saharan Africa did not meet many of the preceding Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The special edition explores the transition from MDGs to SDGs in the context of sexual, reproductive and maternal health…read more
