Last Update: 05/05/2008 Printer Friendly Printer Friendly   Email This Page Email This Page  

Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research

The Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research, established by the NICHD Center for Research for Mothers and Children and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is committed to preventing maternal and infant deaths and illnesses worldwide, improving the health of mothers and infants, building local capacity for doing research, and strengthening scientific and community partnerships.

Scientists from developing countries, together with those in the United States, lead teams that identify the health needs of an area and address these needs through randomized clinical trials to test treatments and interventions.

The efforts of the Global Network focus on several high-need areas, including:

  • Preventing preeclampsia, a disorder of pregnancy that has no known cure and is a major cause of maternal death worldwide
  • Increasing birth weight
  • Improving childbirth practices
  • Reducing infections, such as malaria, tuberculosis, and sepsis (a severe blood infection)
  • Eliminating postpartum hemorrhage (massive blood loss after childbirth) and infant asphyxia or suffocation

For more information about this effort, visit the Global Network Web site at http://gn.rti.org/, read the Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research brochure, or contact Dr. Linda Wright. To learn more about the Network's activities, read the news releases related to the Global Network.