Manchester Centre for Global Women’s Health named WHO Collaborating Centre

03 Dec 2014

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially partnered with a research centre at The University of Manchester which promotes improvements in women’s health in low and middle income countries

The Centre for Global Women’s Health will work with WHO for four years, sharing expertise to help develop international guidelines for policy and practice, and training materials for midwives and skilled birth attendants working to improve labour and childbirth outcomes.

The Director of the Centre, Professor Dame Tina Lavender said: “This accreditation is great news for us as it cements our relationship. Working with this major organisation can only assist in reducing childbirth associated mortalities and morbidities and improving care of mothers and babies.

“The work we do with our partners in Africa makes a huge difference to midwives and of course women, so, ultimately, the support of the WHO will allow us to do that more effectively.”

The designation builds on the Centre’s strong track record of working with the WHO, and allows the team in Manchester to maximise the impact of its growing portfolio of research, training and clinical practice activities aimed at reducing maternal mortality and morbidity.

Researchers from the Centre work very closely with midwives in East Africa, playing a leading role in the Lugina Africa Midwives Network (LAMRN) which offers mentoring and research training for health workers in six African countries. Midwives in the Network have identified research priorities, and have designed and carried out research on clinically important topics such as postnatal infection, neonatal emergencies, fistula care, prolonged labour and HIV.

Professor Lavender said: “We work with inspirational midwives who are working with limited resources and few developmental opportunities. The Centre for Global Women’s Health is helping to support them in their work.” 

The Manchester Centre joins more than 700 designated Collaborating Centres worldwide, working to support WHO’s international programmes. Professor Lavender said: “It is an honour to be associated with the WHO. Being a formal partner in this global network is a way of sharing good practice, finding solutions to childbirth problems and giving women the care that they deserve.”