New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa

New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa's image
Created: 2012-07-30 10:03
Institution: Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities
Description: Millennium Development Goal 5 (MDG5) aims to improve maternal health. Unlike other MDGs, few countries are on track to achieve even the first goal of MDG 5, namely, to reduce maternal mortality by 75%. Sub-Saharan Africa suffers from the highest regional maternal mortality rate (MMR) at 640 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births and the annual decline has only been 0.1%. In stark contrast, average MMR in developed countries is 14.

The focus for discussion and action to reduce maternal mortality rates is of necessity largely restricted to the fields of medicine and public health. At the same time, however, there is a spectrum of challenging biological, social and cultural issues that constitute the context within which maternal mortality occurs. In our workshop we plan to break new ground by bringing together those with expertise in current initiatives to reduce MMR with leading researchers in genetics, immunology, obstetric epidemiology, and social and biological anthropology.

The aim of the conference is to provide a forum within which people with very different expertise and experience can explore the latest research findings and see how these could influence understanding and ideas for action to reduce maternal mortality in Africa.

The following two areas, taken together, will form the focus of the conference:

Biological mechanisms determining birth outcomes
The social and historical context for maternal mortality in Africa
We see this as a unique opportunity to bring together those with experience of implementing initiatives aimed at reducing MMR with researchers from different but highly relevant academic disciplines. Our focus on this important issue will enable us to bring together the latest research in fields that all too often do not ‘talk’ to each other. An additional question to be posed in the course of this conversation concerns the very nature of interdisciplinary enquiry. Do we have a language with which to talk meaningfully of the interactions between biology and history? To what extent can basic scientific research inform policy-making?
 

Media items

This collection contains 10 media items.

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Media items

New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa: Ashley Moffett and Megan Vaughan: Introduction

   638 views

Introduction

Ashley Moffett (Reproductive Immunology, Cambridge)
Megan Vaughan (African History, Cambridge)

Collection: New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa

Institution: Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities

Created: Mon 30 Jul 2012


New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa: Melissa Lane: Summing Up

   914 views

Summing up

Melissa Lane (Politics, Princeton)

Discussion and Future Directions led by
Melissa Lane (Politics, Princeton)
Henrietta Moore (Social Anthropology,...

Collection: New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa

Institution: Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities

Created: Tue 31 Jul 2012


New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa: Panel 1: Tessa Mattholie, Karen Rosenberg and Jonathan Wells

   201 views

Panel 1
Chair
Tessa Mattholie (DfID)

Karen Rosenberg (Biological Anthropology, Delaware)
Why have humans reached this dangerous position in comparison with great apes? ...

Collection: New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa

Institution: Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities

Created: Mon 30 Jul 2012


New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa: Panel 1: Tessa Mattholie, Wendy Graham and Annettee Nakimuli

   255 views

Panel 1


Chair
Tessa Mattholie (DfID)

Wendy Graham (Obstetric Epidemiology, Aberdeen)
Maternal mortality: evidence gaps and measurement traps

Annettee Nakimuli...

Collection: New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa

Institution: Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities

Created: Mon 30 Jul 2012


New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa: Panel 2: Megan Vaughan

   191 views

Panel 2

Chair
Melissa Lane (Politics, Princeton)

Megan Vaughan (African History, Cambridge)
Moral responsibility, accountability and maternal death in Central Africa: a...

Collection: New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa

Institution: Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities

Created: Tue 31 Jul 2012


New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa: Panel 2: Melissa Lane, Philip Steer, Ashley Moffett and Vincent De...

   195 views

Panel 2

Chair
Melissa Lane (Politics, Princeton)

Philip Steer (Obstetrics)
What are the influences of maternal ethnic background on obstetric outcomes in London hospitals...

Collection: New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa

Institution: Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities

Created: Mon 30 Jul 2012


New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa: Panel 3: Claire Wendland and Alemnesh Mirkese

   214 views

Panel 3

Chair
Henrietta Moore (Social Anthropology, Cambridge)

Claire Wendland (Medical Anthropology, Wisconsin)
Explanations and uncertainties surrounding unsafe...

Collection: New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa

Institution: Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities

Created: Tue 31 Jul 2012


New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa: Panel 3: Henrietta Moore, Godfrey Mbaruku, Caroline Bledsoe and Rachel...

   261 views

Panel 3

Chair
Henrietta Moore (Social Anthropology, Cambridge)

Godfrey Mbaruku (African Health, Tanzania)
Health Systems/ policy towards reduction of maternal and neonatal...

Collection: New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa

Institution: Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities

Created: Tue 31 Jul 2012


New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa: Panel 4: Ruth Prince and Vikki Chambers

   317 views

Panel 4

Chair
Ruth Prince (Social Anthropology, Cambridge)

Vikki Chambers (Overseas Development Institute)
A comparative perspective of the institutional factors which...

Collection: New Approaches to Maternal Mortality In Africa

Institution: Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities

Created: Tue 31 Jul 2012