Annually, over 500,000 women die due to pregnancy and pregnancy-related causes worldwide, and this number has not changed appreciably in decades. Over 99% of these deaths occur in the developing world. In addition to maternal deaths, there are a far greater number of women and children worldwide who suffer the consequences of unsafe childbirth and a lack of access to emergency obstetrical care; these consequences include such injuries as Obstetric Fistula (OF) and the consequences of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Improving maternal care worldwide has been an area of interest for me since I had the opportunity to spend a two-month elective in Uganda after my first year of medical school. Since that time I have taken numerous opportunities to work in developing countries, in particular in Sub Saharan Africa and to participate in clinical care and research.

The Scace/Genesis Award in Global Reproductive Health is allowing me to pursue a Master’s Degree in Public Health (MPH), concentrating in International Health and with an interdisciplinary concentration in Women and Gender Health at Harvard University. This education formalizes my public health skills and training through the teaching of crucial public health and research skills including biostatistics, epidemiology and ethics as well as skills and courses specific to the practice and research of international reproductive health. As part of the MPH program, I will also be writing a thesis which will focus on programming to improve maternal health care in the Eldoret, Kenya area (site of the ASANTE University of Toronto Reproductive Health Partnership) in the context of the new Mother-Baby Hospital, currently under construction.

In the course of pursuing the Master’s Degree in Public Health course of studies at Harvard University, I remain involved in international health work through the University of Toronto Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, primarily through the ASANTE Reproductive Health Partnership in Eldoret, Kenya.

Current areas of research focus on factors associated with Obstetric Fistula and OF outcomes, evaluating various methods of screening for cervical cancer in resource poor settings and developing and evaluating a training program in essential obstetrical skills for maternal and neonatal health care workers in the region.

The opportunity to spend the year in Boston provides the opportunity for the development of connections and collaborations with other individuals in the Boston academic circles working in global health. Having completed a Master’s Degree in Public Health, the training will greatly benefit future clinical and research work and will also help future trainees at the University of Toronto with an interest in the area of Global Women’s Health.