UCSF Safe Motherhood Internship in the Copperbelt of Zambia

The Safe Motherhood Program at UCSF is looking for interns to work in the Copperbelt of Zambia from August – October, 2011.

Interested? Check out the details below!

This internship is based in the Copperbelt Region of Zambia.  The intern will work on a study which aims to reduce maternal mortality and morbidities in Zambia and Zimbabwe caused by obstetric hemorrhage.  This is a cluster randomized control study which compares outcomes based on evidence from intervention and control clinics.  The intervention clinics in this study are the clinics that are using the NASG (Non-pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment) as a first aid device for patients suffering from hypovolemic shock caused by bleeding during pregnancy.

Some of the duties of the intern are:

• Providing logistic support for the local Zambian team – distributing supplies, copies
• Reviewing data collection forms
• Encouraging protocol adherence
• Conducting training with local hospital and clinic staff
• Visiting the study clinics
• Following up on cases
• Liaising with the San Francisco office and the in-country staff

Desired qualifications:  Experience in international settings, interest in maternal health, research experience, familiarity with clinical environments.  Must be highly detail- oriented, be well-organized and have excellent follow-through skills.

Note: This internship is unpaid. Intern must provide their own airfare and living expenses.

To apply, send cover letter and cv to:

Elizabeth Butrick

NASG Project Director

ebutrick@globalhealth.ucsf.edu

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No Preliminary Data Needed: Grand Challenges in Global Health Seeks Innovative Ideas to Improve Maternal and Neonatal Health

Round 5 of the Grand Challenges Explorations Initiative is focused on New Technologies to Improve the Health of Mothers and Newborns.

MHTF Blog

“…The goal of the initiative is to foster innovation in global health research. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supports this initiative and will make initial grants of $100,000–and successful projects will have the opportunity to receive a follow-on grant of up to $1 million…

…This is the first GCE topic focused entirely on maternal and neonatal health. The goal is to solicit novel and innovative technologies to reduce maternal, fetal or neonatal mortality and morbidity…”

For more information on the Grand Challenges Explorations Initiative–including information on how to apply–read the full post on the MHTF Blog here.

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Call for Nominations: The Board of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Seeks an Academic Expert in Maternal Health

The Board of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH) has issued a call for nominations for a new representative to fill an available seat on the Board, and invites your organization to nominate an academic expert in maternal health. 

Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health

“The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health is governed by the PMNCH Board and its two accompanying committees — the Finance Committee and the Executive Committee. The Board Members represent their constituencies, made up of the full membership of the Partnership, as well as a balance between the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health interest and geographical areas.”

Click here for more information on the Board.

The board is seeking a representative to replace the outgoing representative, Professor Wendy J Graham, from IMMPACT, University of Aberdeen. The two other positions representing the academic, research and training constituency remain filled by academic expert in newborn health Professor Vinod Paul, from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences; and  academic expert in the field of child health Professor Jane Schaller, from the International Paediatric Association.

Click here for the document outlining the process for electing a representative to the PMNCH board.

For more information or to submit your organization’s nomination: PMNCHAdmin@who.int

Nominations must be received before April 1st, 2010.

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Immpact Seeks Research Assistant for Maternal Health Research

Immpact is looking for a researcher to conduct a scientific literature review of the quality of international maternal health care—and prepare proposals/implementation of formative research studies to improve quality of maternal health services in developing countries.

Immpact

Screenshot from Immpact website.

About Immpact and their current research activities

“Immpact is a research unit at the University of Aberdeen with a focus on knowledge generation, knowledge management and knowledge transfer dedicated to reducing maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity in developing countries. This is a global research initiative whose aim is to promote better health and is closely linked with global efforts to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals for 2015, especially those related to maternal mortality reduction.

Immpact has recently been awarded funding by the Norwegian Government to conduct multiple research activities related to improving the quality of maternal care in developing countries, including systematic literature reviews, formative research and developing a large-scale international field trial testing package of quality of delivery care interventions including birth kits.    The current focus of the research project is India and a few selected African countries.

This initiative will contribute to the better conceptual understanding of quality of care available via maternal health services and will generate evidence on the means improving maternal care in the context of developing countries.

The study will improve the quality of delivery care and strengthen health systems, and thus impact upon maternal mortality. The key potential outputs will be:

• Scientific literature reviews to describe status of quality of maternal care and to identify the effective health systems interventions in developing countries.
• Prioritisation and pre-testing of promising targeted interventions through series of formative research activities
• Robust evaluation of the quality of a delivery care intervention package in target developing countries”

Download the full job description here.

See the online posting here.

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Healthy Mothers, Strong World: Spend 9 Months Working Abroad on a Maternal Health Issue with an Ashoka Fellow

There are only seven days left to enter the competition! March 17th, 2010, is the deadline to apply to be a Young Champion of Maternal Health.

Ashoka Changemakers and the Maternal Health Task Force

“Ashoka and the Maternal Health Task Force will select 16 individual Young Champions of Maternal Health. Based on their winning submissions, these Young Champions will receive the unique opportunity to work abroad for nine-months on a maternal health project, mentored by an Ashoka Fellow innovating in the field of maternal health. In addition to this professional development opportunity, Young Champions will have access to maternal health experts through the Maternal Health Task Force and resources to further develop their ideas and projects. All Young Champions will receive a monthly stipend and 100% financial support for travel, accommodation, insurance, and visa costs. Ideas and projects emerging from the Young Champions Program will be publicized widely.”

Learn more about this opportunity here.

To learn about the related blogging contest, click here. (Due date for blogging contest is April 28th, 2010.)

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The Second Event in the Maternal Health Policy Series is about Midwives, TBAs and Task-Shifting

The Maternal Health Task Force, UNFPA and the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Global Health Initiative bring you a discussion on Human Resources for Maternal Health: Midwives, TBAs, and Task-Shifting

This event is the second in the series. It will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, January 06 2010, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington D.C.

Click here to RSVP this event.

If you are interested, but unable to attend the event, check out the live or archived webcast here.

Event Details

Extending the scope of responsibilities to non-physician health workers is potentially an important means to reducing maternal deaths in the developing world. While this strategy has proven to be an effective method for addressing human resource gaps in maternal health, pitfalls such as inadequate training and lack of coordination among key actors must be addressed.

Dr. Seble Frehywot, assistant research professor of health policy and global health at George Washington University, will address the motivation and methods for task sharing. Dr. Jeffrey Smith, regional technical director for Asia at Jhpiego, will discuss his field work experience developing workforce plans for midwives and traditional birth attendants, including in Afghanistan. Finally, Pape Gaye, president & CEO of IntraHealth, will discuss the importance of retention and other long-term strategies in human resources for maternal health.

About the Series

The reproductive and maternal health community finds itself at a critical point, drawing increased attention and funding, but still confronting more than a half million deaths each year and a high unmet need for family planning. The Policy Dialogue series seeks to galvanize the community by focusing on important–and in some cases controversial–issues within the maternal health community.

Did you miss the first event in this series?

Don’t worry! You can watch the webcast or read a report on the event! The first event in this series was held in December. The topic was Integrating HIV/AIDS and Maternal Health Services.

To view the archived webcast, click here. To read a report about the event, click here.

Click here to view Integration is all the Buzz, a previous post on this blog that highlights current news about integration of maternal health services and discusses Integrating HIV/AIDS and Maternal Health Services.

More info

Visit the Maternal Health Task Force website here.

Visit the UNFPA website here.

Visit the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Global Health Initiative site here.

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The Maternal Health Task Force at EngenderHealth and Ashoka are in search of 16 “Young Champions of Maternal Health”

Attend the Maternal Health Change Summit in India and spend 9 months developing your maternal health idea with an Ashoka Fellow

The Maternal Health Task Force at EngenderHealth and Ashoka have teamed up to launch “Healthy Mothers, Strong World: The Next Generation of Ideas for Maternal Health.” The two organizations are in search of “inspiring young changemakers with solutions that will transform the maternal health field”.

“Maternal health is gaining prominence on the global development agenda but needs a new generation of professionals to sustain the momentum and end the cycle of maternal death and disability. The Changemakers online platform will identify 16 young leaders from around the world, Young Champions of Maternal Health, to develop their innovative ideas during 9-month mentorships with seasoned Ashoka Fellows working in the field of maternal health. During this time, the Young Champions will have access to maternal health experts through the Maternal Health Task Force and resources to further develop their ideas and projects.  “The MHTF is eager to foster new ideas coming from the next generation of maternal health leaders,” said Dr. Ann K. Blanc, Director of the MHTF at EngenderHealth. All Young Champions will receive a monthly stipend and 100% financial support for travel, accommodation, insurance, and visa costs. The innovations and projects that emerge from the Young Champions Program will be publicized widely.”

The 9-month mentorship will kick off at the Maternal Health Change Summit in India in August 2010.

“In addition to selecting 16 Young Champions, the Changemakers competition will award 3 organizations $5,000 in-kind prizes to attend the global Maternal Health Change Summit to be held in India late in August 2010. At the Change Summit, the Young Champions and the Changemakers Prize Winners will discuss their ideas and projects, receive training, and get feedback and advice from maternal health experts.”

Click here for more info and the MHTF announcement about these opportunities.

And, click here for more details on the competition, information about how to apply or how to nominate someone.

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