London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

The MRC Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (MRCG at LSHTM), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health in The Gambia, held a workshop in October 2023, to identify gaps and challenges in healthcare delivery for mothers and newborns and identify national maternal and newborn health (MNH) research priorities.

MRCG at LSHTM have recently published a report which provides detailed findings from the workshop and presents a priority list of maternal and neonatal health research questions that address real-world issues in The Gambia, primarily focusing on health systems and implementation research questions.

Professor Debra Jackson and Dr Aduragbemi Banke-Thomas, MARCH Co-Directors, commented:

“As academic researchers, we have a responsibility to answer questions from programme managers and policymakers to help them improve the health of vulnerable populations. The answers we need to provide go beyond the usual 'blue sky' and basic science research. In a time of limited resources, evidence on national priorities, which are specific to countries and can change over time, are crucial to ensure programmes align with health system stakeholders.

“LSHTM and the MARCH centre are regularly recognised as leading the way in research impact. This exercise in The Gambia by MRCG at LSHTM, working with the Ministry of Health to develop research priorities for maternal and newborn health, is another example of how academic researchers can partner with local stakeholders to generate locally relevant evidence to improve outcomes and contribute to lasting impact. We congratulate Dr Uduak Okomo and her team on this most impressive effort."

Find out more and read the full report.