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In This Issue:
With every passing moment, a woman somewhere in the world dies while giving birth. But there is hope—initiatives across the globe are making strides toward reducing maternal mortality.
Last week, BWHers filled the Bornstein Amphitheater to capacity for a showing of “No Woman, No Cry,” a powerful documentary about maternal mortality directed by Christy Turlington Burns, a supermodel and activist.
“I am so humbled by Christy Turlington Burns’ commitment to reducing maternal mortality here at home in the U.S. and around the world,” said Nawal Nour, MD, director of the Global Obstetrics and Gynecology Health Division, which hosted the event.
The film portrays the powerful stories of at-risk pregnant women in four parts of the world, including a remote Maasai tribe in Tanzania, a slum of Bangladesh, a post-abortion care ward in Guatemala and a prenatal clinic in the U.S.
“Ultimately, when you watched the film, I hope you didn’t think ‘there’ or ‘there,’ because all of the stories to some extent apply to each country in the world,” said Turlington Burns, during a question and answer session after the screening. “I wanted to show this issue was a global tragedy.”
But there have been glimmers of hope, she said. In the past few years, Bangladesh has reported a 40 percent reduction in maternal mortality. “I have been inspired by these stories of hope,” she said.
BWH has its own stories of hope, with a steadfast commitment to improving women’s health locally and around the world.
“We can be very proud of our rich history in supporting women’s health here at the Brigham,” said Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology Bob Barbieri, MD. “Women’s health is at the forefront of what we do.”
BW/F President Betsy Nabel, MD, shared examples of programs and initiatives at BWH dedicated to women’s health. Locally, the Center for Community Health and Health Equity is committed to reducing disparities in infant mortality and low birth weight, particularly among infants born to black women in the Boston area.
Beyond Boston, the Global Women’s Health fellowship established by the Connors Center for Women’s Health and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative has sent talented and dedicated physicians all over the world to further the health and well-being of women through research.
Recent fellows have conducted research on gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and South Sudan, and they have also helped to establish a reproductive health program at a field hospital in post-earthquake Haiti.