The AlignMNH Masterclass is a series that highlights educational, inspirational, novel and/or groundbreaking evidence-based data, ideas, findings, and outcomes from reports, publications, studies, clinical trials, or initiatives centered on maternal and newborn health.   

---

Episode 5: Born too Soon: Decade of action on preterm birth

Worldwide, 13.4 million babies are born preterm every year. That is estimated as one baby born preterm every two seconds, and every forty seconds, one of those vulnerable newborns will die. The first Born too Soon report was released in 2012, sparking a movement for preterm birth and more broadly maternal newborn health. A decade later, more than 140 individuals from over 70 organizations came together to release an updated Born too Soon report earlier this year at the International Maternal Newborn Health Conference. Merette Khalil, of YourEgyptianDoula and White Ribbon Alliance, and Prof. Joy Lawn, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the NEST360 Alliance, explore the underlying factors causing preterm birth and share a call to action for prevention and implementation to realize a world in which all women and babies survive and thrive.

Full report: Born too Soon: Decade of action on preterm birth

Episode 4: A Roadmap to Combat Postpartum Hemorrhage

Postpartum hemorrhage, or PPH, remains the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide, despite research on proven lifesaving treatments and interventions. The Roadmap to Combat Postpartum Hemorrhage between 2023-2030 aims to accelerate progress on PPH through a common agenda for research, norms and standards, implementation bottlenecks, and advocacy. In this AlignMNH Masterclass episode, Femi Oladapo from the World Health Organization and Prof. Hadiza Galadanci from Bayero University Kano provide an overview of the publication, the need for an aligned agenda, and how it can help harmonize our global efforts against PPH.

Episode 3: Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) Global Report

Every two minutes, a woman dies from complications related to pregnancy, and every 16 seconds, a stillbirth occurs. Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) is a process for identifying, investigating and responding to maternal and perinatal deaths in order to prevent similar deaths from occurring. Francesca Palestra of the World Health Organization and Mary Mbuo of the London School for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine share important takeaways on MPDSR implementation and information from the upcoming WHO Global Report on MPDSR.

Episode 2: Small Vulnerable Newborns 

Worldwide, every fourth baby is born too soon or too small. A new series in The Lancet, released at IMNHC 2023, explores a new conceptual framework bringing together preterm birth, small for gestational age, and low birthweight under the term “small vulnerable newborns” (SVN). In this AlignMNH Masterclass, Dr. Abdu Mohiddin and Dr. Eric Ohuma discuss the important definitions for classifying SVNs, the need for increased measurement and accountability, and the proven and hopeful interventions for prevention. 

Learn more and read The Lancet series here. 

Episode 1: The E-MOTIVE Trial  

Postpartum hemorrhage, or PPH, is the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide. The E-MOTIVE trial involved training and equipping health providers to rapidly respond to PPH using a low-cost drape to collect and measure blood loss and a clinical bundle of first-response treatments. In this video, three experts who led the trial—Professor Arri Coomarasamy, Dr. Ioannis Gallos, and Professor Sue Fawcus—break down the prevalence of PPH, the structure and implementation of E-MOTIVE, and how, if scaled up, E-MOTIVE could substantially reduce deaths from PPH globally. 

Learn more about E-MOTIVE and read the published results in the New England Journal of Medicine.