Oxford Maternal & Perinatal Health Institute (OMPHI)

ABOUT US

The Oxford Maternal & Perinatal Health Institute was founded in 2009 under the aegis of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford. We engage medical researchers, social scientists and health management experts in some of the major issues affecting the health of mothers and newborn babies, particularly in resource-poor settings. We are running 4 large, global studies involving over 350 researchers from a wide range of countries. The President of OMPHI is Professor Michael Katz (pictured), who is supported by the team on the right of this page. 

 OMPHI FELLOWSHIP 

our funders 

Our research focuses on fetal growth and nutrition and the effects of infection (e.g.malaria) in pregnancy; initiatives aimed at developing e-learning programmes in developing countries, and surveys of healthcare providers in resource-poor settings to identify barriers to implementing effective interventions in pregnancy. Our studies are funded by:

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation  

OUR PARTNERS

MHTF is a project of the Women and Health Initiative at the Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health which works to create a strong, well-informed and integrated community with equitable access to high-quality technical evidence to eliminate preventable maternal mortality and morbidity worldwide. MHTF is led by Ana Langer, a physician specializing in pediatrics and neonatology and a reproductive health expert. 

OMPHI also works with The Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research on various joint initiatives. GFMER is a non-profit organisation established in 2002. It is supported by the Republic and Canton of Geneva, the Department of Social Affairs of the City of Geneva and other Swiss and international institutions. The Foundation works in close collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). GFMER is a WHO Collaborating Centre in Education and Research in Human Reproduction. The overall objectives of the Foundation are to furnish health education and research programmes that can be applied by developing countries, and countries in economic transition, and to establish collaboration between entities from the public and private sectors. See more 

Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation  is an independent, charitable organisation founded in an effort to fulfil the family’s vision of a world in which every child is granted an optimum start in life through the benefits of breast milk.

OUR PROJECTS 

INTERGROWTH-21^st PROJECT

An International Fetal and Newborn Growth Consortium dedicated to improving perinatal health through the development of new fetal and newborn growth standards, providing tools for the continuity of care from conception to 5 years of age. It is a global, multidisciplinary network of more than 300 researchers and clinicians from 27 institutions in 18 countries worldwide, coordinated from the University of Oxford. It was launched in 2008 byJosé Villar & Stephen Kennedy to challenge the assumption that babies inherently grow differently around the world. The project is the largest, population‐based, prospective study of fetal and newborn growth and development ever conducted, involving nearly 60,000 mothers and babies.  

Visit INTERGROWTH-21^st website here

COLLABORATORS IN THE INTERGROWTH-21^st PROJECT 

José Villar, M.D.^a, Francesca Giuliani, M.D.^b, Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Ph.D.^c*, Enrico Bertino, M.D.^b, Eric O. Ohuma, M.Sc.^a,d, Leila Cheikh Ismail, Ph.D.^a , Fernando C. Barros M.D.^e,f,  Douglas G. Altman, D.Sc.^d, Cesar Victora, M.D.^e, Julia A. Noble, D.Phil.^g, Michael G. Gravett, M.D.^h , Manorama Purwar, M.D.ⁱ, Ruyan Pang, M.D.^j,  Ann Lambert, Ph.D.^a, Aris T. Papageorghiou, M.D.^a, Maria Carvalho^k, William Stones^l   Yasmin A. Jaffer, M.D.^m  and  Stephen H. Kennedy, M.D.^a* for the International Fetal and Newborn Growth Consortium for the 21^st Century (INTERGROWTH-21^st)

^a Nuffield Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Oxford Maternal & Perinatal Health Institute, Green Templeton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

^b Dipartimento di Scienze della Sanita Pubblica e Pediatriche, Struttura Complessa di Neonatologia Universitaria, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy

^c Center of Excellence in Women & Child Health, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan and Center for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada

^d Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Botnar Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

^e Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil

^f Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde e Comportamento, Universidade Católica de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil

^g Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

^h Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS), Seattle Children’s, Seattle, WA (USA).

ⁱ Nagpur INTERGROWTH-21^st Research Centre, Ketkar Hospital, Nagpur, India

^j School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China

^k Faculty of Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya

^l Departments of Public Health and Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Milawi College of Medicine, Blantyre, Milawi

^m Department of Family & Community Health, Ministry of Health, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

INTERBIO-21^st STUDY

The INTERBIO-21^st Study is an extension to the INTERGROWTH-21^st Project. The study aims to improve the phenotypic characterisation of the fetal growth restriction/small for gestational age (FGR/SGA)  and preterm birth syndromes at molecular, biochemical and clinical levels so as to develop better strategies to correct the effects of an adverse intrauterine environment.The study is initially focusing on the effects of nutrition on fetal growth and development in healthy and complicated pregnancies from seven different populations worldwide by using epigenetic profiling of cord blood and placental tissues to understand better the causes of the FGR/SGA and preterm birth syndromes. The populations being studied have very different risk profiles as they include some women in resource-poor settings at high risk for FGR/SGA and preterm delivery because of malnutrition and/or infection (HIV and malaria). Standardised information about pregnancy outcomes and anthropometric measurements are also being collected using tools developed in the INTERGROWTH-21^st Project.

INTERBIO-21^st has two components: the Fetal and Neonatal Studies. In the Fetal Study, which is limited to certain settings, women are being monitored from early pregnancy onwards so as to capture very detailed information about fetal growth patterns; in the Neonatal Study, women are identified at birth provided that gestational age has been confirmed by ultrasound < 24 weeks’ gestation.

 Visit INTERBIO-21^st study website here

COLLABORATORS IN INTERBIO-21^st STUDY

Stephen H Kennedy ^a, Cesar G Victora ^b, Rachel Craik ^a, Stephen Ash ^a, Fernando C Barros ^c, Hellen C Barsosio ^b, James A Berkley ^d,e, Maria Carvalho ^f, Michelle Fernandes ^a, Leila Cheikh Ismail ^a, Ann Lambert ^a, Cecilia M Lindgren ^g, Rose McGready ^h, Shama Munim ^i, Christoffer Nellåker ^a, Julia A Noble ^j, Shane A Norris ^k, Francois Nosten ^h, Eric Ohuma ^a,l, Aris T Papageorghiou ^a, Alan Stein ^m, William Stones ^f, Chrystelle O O Tshivuila-Matala ^a,k, Eleonora Staines Urias ^a, Manu Vatish ^a, Katharina Wulff ⁿGhulam Zainab ^i, Krina T Zondervan ^a,o, Ricardo Uauy ^p,q*, Zulfiqar A Bhutta ^r,s*, José Villar ^a*

^a Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health and Oxford Maternal & Perinatal Health Institute, Green Templeton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

^b Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil

^c Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde e Comportamento, Universidade Católica de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil

^d KEMRI-Coast Centre for Geographical Medicine and Research, Kilifi, Kenya

^e Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

^f Faculty of Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya

^g Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

^h Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Thailand

ⁱ Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Division of Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan

^j Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

^k SAMRC Developmental Pathways For Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics & Child Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

^l Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Botnar Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

^m Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

ⁿ Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

^o Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

^p Division of Paediatrics, Pontifical Universidad Catolica de Chile, Chile

^q London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK

^r Center for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.

^s Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan

INTERPRACTICE-21^st PROJECT

The next phase of the INTERGROWTH-21^st Project, known as INTERPRACTICE-21^st, has now begun. INTERPRACTICE-21^st aims to promote optimal postnatal growth of preterm infants by:

(a)   standardising growth measurement in babies born preterm by using the INTERGROWTH-21^st international standards

(b)   implementing evidence-based feeding recommendations based on breast feeding. 

We have formed partnerships with leading neonatal units across the world to introduce these interventions in their hospitals and countries, with the ultimate aim of wider dissemination and high-level health policy support. 

Using recommended feeding practices and international standards to monitor postnatal growth and development should help avoid nutritional patterns that may be associated with childhood overweight and obesity, and improve the growth, development and survival of preterm infants.

Visit INTERPRACTICE-21^st website here

Click here to access the study protocol and study documents for INTERPRACTICE-21^st

The support of the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation’ is gratefully acknowledged.

COLLABORATORS IN THE INTERPRACTICE 21^st PROJECT

Jose Villar^a, MD, Francesca Giuliani^b, MD, Fernando Barros^c,d, MD, Paola Roggero^e, MD, Irma Alejandra Coronado Zarco^f, MD, Maria Albertina S. Rego^g, MD, Roseline Ochieng^h, MD, Maria Lorella Gianni^e, MD, Suman Raoⁱ, MD, Ann Lambert^a, PhD, Irina Ryumina^j, MD, Carl Britto^k, MD, Deepak Chawla^l, MD, Leila Cheikh Ismail^a, PhD, Syed Rehan Ali^m, MD, Jane Hirst^a, MD, Jagjit Singh Tejiⁿ, MD, Karim Abawi^o, MD, Jacqueline Asibey^p, MD, Josephine Agyeman-Duah^o, MSc, Kenny McCormick^q, MD, Enrico Bertino^r, MD, Aris T Papageorghiou^a, MD, Josep Figueras-Aloy^s, MD, Montserrat Izquierdo Renau^t Ricardo Nieto^u MD, Constanza Soto Conti^u MD, Gabriela Tavchioska^v MD, Alexandre Lapillonne^w MD, Zulfiqar Bhutta^x PhD, Stephen Kennedy^a MD, Ana Langer^y MD.

AFFILIATIONS

^a Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health and Oxford Maternal & Perinatal Health Institute, Green Templeton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

^bAzienda Ospedaliera OIRM Sant’Anna Citta della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Italy

^c Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde e Comportamento, Universidade Católica de Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil

^d Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil

^e NICU, Fondazione I.R.C.C.S. "Ca' Granda" Milano, Italy

^f Instituto Nacional de Perinatología "Isidro Espinosa de los Reyes", Mexico City, Mexico

^g Departmento de Pediatria, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

^h The Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya 

ⁱ St. John's Medical College Hospital, Bangalore, India

^j Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, Moscow, Russian Federation

^k Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

^l Government Medical College, Chandigarh, India

^m The Aga Khan Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan

ⁿ Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA

^o Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Geneva, Switzerland

^p Holy Family Hospital, Techiman, Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana 

^q John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford, UK

^r Dipartimento di Scienze Pediatriche e dell’Adolescenza, Cattedra di Neonatologia, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy

^s University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

^t Saint Joan de Deu  Barcelona Hospital, Barcelona, Spain

^uThe Sardá Maternity Hospital, Esteban de Luca 21 51 CABA CP 1246, Buenos Aires, Argentina

^vGeneral Hospital ,,Borka Taleski" street ,Trajko Tarcan" bb Prilep 7500 R. Macedonia

^wDept of Neonatology, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, 149 rue de Sèvres, 75015 Paris

^x Center for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada

^yHarvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA,USA