Seattle Children's Launches Global Alliance to Fight Prematurity and Stillbirth
Globally, premature births and stillbirth represent major public health problems. Premature birth is the leading cause of death during the neonatal period and is responsible for more than a million infant deaths each year. In addition, about 24 of every 1,000 babies are stillborn.
To address these serious global health issues, Children’s has established the Global Alliance for the Prevention of Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS). Under the leadership of Dr. Craig Rubens, the alliance is developing international programs to support research, policy development and advocacy, with the ultimate goal of improving maternal and neonatal health.
With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, GAPPS is conducting the following initiatives:
- A comprehensive literature review of published and unpublished data on the epidemiology, current rates, direct and indirect causes of death, risk factors, and biology of premature and stillbirth globally.
- An analysis of gaps in our scientific knowledge and challenges to successful interventions.
- An International Conference on Prematurity and Stillbirth, to be held in Seattle in May 2009, which will feature findings from the literature review, unpublished data review and gap analysis.
In addition, GAPPS is developing a premature birth clinical data bank - the first of its kind in the nation—to support a coordinated system for enrolling, collecting, processing, and banking maternal specimens and umbilical cord blood for research. GAPPS also recently created a partnership with the Puget Sound Blood Center to extend its research network to help increase the blood center’s collection of umbilical cord blood.
The GAPPS Web site is now live, featuring information about GAPPS leadership and core investigators, ongoing research initiatives and advocacy efforts, news and events, plus registration and other details about the international conference in May 2009. Information and resources for families touched by prematurity and stillbirth will also be added to the site.
All visitors are invited to provide feedback about the site to Mark Ruffo, marketing manager at Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute.