Global Health Reporting Fellowship with the International Reporting Project, Apply Now!

The International Reporting Project at Johns Hopkins University is offering two groups of fellowships this spring: International Journalism and Global Health Reporting. Up to five fellows will be selected for the Global Health Reporting Fellowship with the International Reporting Project. They will be given five weeks to report on a specific topic in global health [...]

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New Report Shows that HIV Positive Women in Chile are Facing Major Reproductive Rights Violations

The Center for Reproductive Rights has released, Dignity Denied: Violations of the Rights of HIV-positive Women in Chilean Health Facilities, an in-depth investigation into the issue of discrimination against HIV positive women in Chile—specifically when seeking reproductive health services.  In an email I received from colleagues at the Center for Reproductive Rights, they wrote: “Over a period [...]

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WHO Releases New Report Showing a 34% Drop in Maternal Deaths Worldwide

In April, the Lancet published new maternal mortality estimates (out of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation) that showed a significant reduction in global maternal deaths, shaking up the global health community’s understanding of the global burden of the issue–and providing new hope. The report also illustrated the important links between HIV/AIDS and maternal [...]

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Call for Abstracts: Textbook on Women’s Health and Empowerment to be Developed

Colleagues at the Women’s Health and Empowerment Center of Expertise at the University of California Global Health Institute are working to develop a multidisciplinary book on women’s health and empowerment.  The book will feature a set of case studies that examine the application of a specific disciplinary (or multi-discplinary) approach to addressing issues of women’s [...]

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The Maternal Health Task Force and Ashoka Announce the 16 Young Champions of Maternal Health!

I attended a press conference yesterday (6/17) where Ashoka and the Maternal Health Task Force at EngenderHealth announced the 16 winners of the Young Champions for Maternal Health competition. The 16 Young Champions come from 13 different countries and will be placed with Ashoka Fellows around the world for a 9-month mentorship. Excerpt from my [...]

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Day Two (6/8) at Women Deliver 2010: Innovation and (High and Low) Technology

Tuesday (6/8) marked day two of Women Deliver 2010. Day two was all about innovation and (high and low) technology to improve the health of women and infants worldwide–in fact, the conference organizers marketed Tuesday’s sessions as a stand-alone symposium called Technology as a Catalyst for Social Transformation. Take a look at two examples of [...]

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Global Progress on Maternal Health: Dr. Fred Sai Asks, “Where is Africa”?

Dr. Fred Sai is co-host of Women Deliver 2010, former reproductive health and HIV/AIDS advisor to the Ghanaian government, and has spent 40 years working to improve the health of women and children in Ghana and throughout Africa.  In his June 2nd blog post, A New Role For Africans in Maternal Health, on the ONE [...]

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International Day of the Midwife: UNFPA and the International Confederation of Midwives Call on World Leaders to Address the Global Shortage of Midwives

Today, May 5th, is International Day of the Midwife—and UNFPA and the International Confederation of Midwives have released a joint statement calling on world leaders to address the shortage of 350,000 midwives around the world. Their statement explains that increased investments in training midwives are critical to reaching the most marginalized communities–who typically lack access [...]

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Letters to the Editor Add New Dimension to the Coverage of the Recent Lancet Publication on Maternal Mortality

On April 13th 2010, the New York Times published an article,  Maternal Deaths Decline Sharply Across the Globe, about the recent findings published in the Lancet that suggest a dramatic reduction in global maternal mortality. Since then, the paper has published a series of Letters to the Editor. These letters come  from leaders of organizations working on reproductive [...]

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New Maternal Mortality Estimates: Editor-in-Chief of the Lancet, Richard Horton, Identifies Five Lessons

Horton comments on the new study, Maternal mortality for 181 countries, 1980-2008: a systematic analysis of progress towards Millennium Development Goal 5, published today in the Lancet Online First, that suggests a dramatic reduction in global maternal mortality between 1980 and 2008. Horton describes additional significant findings in the paper–aside from the overall drop in maternal deaths. [...]

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New Estimates Suggest Dramatic Reduction in Global Maternal Mortality

A new paper, Maternal mortality for 181 countries, 1980-2008: a systematic analysis of progress towards Millennium Development Goal 5, published today in the Lancet Online First, suggests that global maternal deaths have dropped from 526,300 in 1980 to 342,900 in 2008. The Lancet The authors of the paper, estimate that the global MMR decreased from [...]

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Cambodia: Despite Improvements in Health Services, Maternal Mortality Remains High

Cambodian News reports that while Cambodia’s health system has improved over the past decade, maternal mortality has seen no real improvement.  Cambodian News “Cambodia’s health system has improved over the past decade resulting in significant reduction of child mortality, reduction of mortality and morbidity due to communicable diseases such as HIV/ AIDS, TB and malaria, vaccine preventable diseases, [...]

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New Study by UNFPA Shows How Maternal Deaths Represent Major Inequities in Argentina

The Latin American Herald Tribune reports on a new study by UNFPA that highlights the incidence of maternal deaths, the frequency of abortion, and the concentration of new HIV cases among the most marginalized sector of the Argentine population.  The Latin American Herald Tribune “…The maternal mortality rate remains ‘relatively elevated in relation to the [...]

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EngenderHealth Seeks Senior Technical Advisor for Maternal Health

EngenderHealth Job Description “Maternal Health is one of EngenderHealth’s key Global Practice Areas. EngenderHealth Maternal Health programs include activities: essential obstetric care, management of abortion complications, management of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, fistula care, and prevention of unplanned and unwanted pregnancies. The Senior Technical Advisor for Maternal Health, under the supervision of the Global Practice Leader [...]

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Gates Foundation Grants UCSF $1.15 Million for Study on Integrating Family Planning Services and HIV/AIDS Treatment

Can integrating family planning services into HIV/AIDS treatment and care increase contraceptive use and decrease unintended pregnancy among HIV-positive women? UCSF is partnering with the Kenya Medical Research Institute and Ibis Reproductive Health to find out. University of California, San Francisco “’Two-thirds of the world’s HIV-infected population lives in sub-Saharan Africa and 60 percent are [...]

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