Maternal and Child Health

Mothers and children at clinic

SMRU's Maternal and Child Health (MCH) research program utilizes operational field based research to identify and solve problems relevant to the local population of women and young children. The areas of research are deliberately broad and address reduction of mortality and morbidity in mothers and infants in relation to infection, nutrition, quality of care and training of local health care workers. The research environment encourages longitudinal studies that can link pregnancy, fetal, birth, neonatal and infant outcomes. 

Main Activities: 

  • Infection
    • Clinical, epidemiological, genetic, treatment and prevention studies of malaria
    • (P.falciparum and P.vivax) and anemia in pregnancy and infancy
    • Clinical, epidemiological, genetic and treatment studies of non-malaria fever in pregnancy and infancy.
    • Clinical and epidemiological studies of infectious pregnancy morbidity including syphilis, HIV, hepatitis B and urinary tract infection
    • Ultrasound studies of fetal growth with infectious and non-infectious morbidity
  • Nutrition
    • Micronutrients in pregnancy and impact on newborn and infant growth and development
  • Training and Quality of Care in resource limited settings
    • Training and skilling birth attendants in Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics and impact on obstetric indicators
    • Establishing newborn and neonatal care in resource limited settings
  • Reproductive health and contraception
    • Contraceptive access, preferences, and behaviors among reproductive age women