Maternal and Child Health Research

Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network

RTI is serving as the data collection and analysis center for NICHD’s study of stillbirth in the United States. In this role, we help network investigators at five university-affiliated clinical sites design studies to determine the causes of stillbirth. We are also supporting efforts to develop research guidelines for reporting and investigating stillbirths, including a standardized postmortem exam.

Woman-Focused HIV Prevention in Western Cape, South Africa

This multimethod study will conduct a randomized controlled trial with repeated measures, qualitative methods, and biological testing to determine the effectiveness of a woman-focused intervention in increasing knowledge and skills to reduce substance abuse, sexual risk behaviors, and victimization. Former pilot study participants indigenous to the target communities will be trained as outreach workers to screen, recruit, and track female study participants. This 5-year study is funded by NICHD.

Maternal and Neonatal Directed Assessment of Technology (MANDATE) (Gates)

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has funded a framework that will enable the global community to compare the potential of a portfolio of maternal and neonatal technologies to save lives in low-resource settings. MANDATE is creating a model that will have broad appeal to inventors, investors, donors, and researchers aspiring to use technology to maximize maternal and neonatal lives saved. Specifically, MANDATE is developing a framework to enable the global community to compare the potential of new and existing technologies to save lives in these settings and to provide informed product profiles that address conditions of high potential impact and reflect user preferences, operating environment, and other parameters to guide development.

More Read About Maternal and Child Health Research