23 February 2005 Dear Dr. Luthra, I have the honour to invite you to address the community of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) associated with the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Thursday, 7 April 2005, at the weekly Briefing organized by the NGO Section of DPI. The topic of the Briefing will be « International World Health Day ». Our well-informed NGO representatives would be interested in hearing from you on how your organization is working with the United Nations and with governments to promote maternal health and early childhood care. Other invited speakers include H.E. Chief Arthur Mbanefo, Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations and Dr. Jack Chow, World Health Organization, Assistant Director-General for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. We respectfully ask that you give a presentation of approximately seven-to-ten minutes so that the remaining time can be devoted to a question-and-answer period. The weekly DPI/NGO Briefings are attended by an average of 200 representatives of national and intemationa1 NGOs that work with the United Nations. The Briefing will take place in the Dog Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium from 10:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. I hope you will be able to join us on 7 April 2005. Yours sincerely, Paul Hoeffel Chief NGO Section Department of Public InformationRead More

Dr. Sibai is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. His academic leadership and contributions to research, in the dissection of the hypertensive diseases of pregnancy and other basic problems associated with obstetrics and gynecology, has awarded him national and international recognition in the field of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, particularly in the area of hypertension in pregnancy. His contributions have organized the treatment plans of many physicians. Dr. Sibai’s international notoriety in preeclampsia and eclampsia evolved as a result of his authorship or co-authorship of over 350 peer-reviewed publications in national and internationally circulated publications. Dr. Baha M. Sibai Professor and Chairman Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology University of Cincinnati 231 Albert Sabin Way Cincinnati, OH 45267 E-mail: baha.sibai@uc.eduRead More

Président, département de l’obstétrique et Gynecologie St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center Boston, MA (USA) Éducation: Reçu un diplôme de Harvard College, 1952-56 Servi dans la marine des Etats-Unis (Ensign-Lt jg), 1956-58 Boston University School of Medicine, 1958-62 Internship / residency surgery St. Vincent’s Hospital NY, NY, 1962-64 Résidence d’Ob/Gyn St. Vincent’s Hospital NY, NY, 1964-68 Expérience: Professeur clinique de Ob/Gyn, école d’université de touffes de médecine Président, Société obstétrique de Boston, 1999-2000 Chairman, Massachusetts Section ACOG, 1998-2002 Section, Department of Ob/Gyn, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Boston MA Le centre médical de St. Elizabeth est consacré à la santé des femmes publie et fait bon accueil à des projets liés à la maternité sûre de partout dans le monde. Notre programme de résidence a des résidants de divers pays et de milieux ethniques. Notre diversité est notre force.Read More

WomensHealthSection.com is the website of Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC). The information in the various pages of the WHEC web site is issued by the Women’s Health and Education Center for general distribution. WHEC exercises copyright over its information to make sure that it is used in accordance with the © WHEC All Worldwide Rights Reserved principles. Extracts of WHEC information can be used for private study or for educational purposes without permission. Wider use requires permission to be obtained from WHEC. Can I link to the WomensHealthSection.com from my web site? How do I request a link from the WomensHealthSection.com to my site? Potentially any external web site may add a hyperlink to the WomensHealthSection.com without requesting permission. However this use must not infringe Women’s Health and Education Center’s (WHEC’s) intellectual property rights, in particular relating to its name, emblem, copyright or authors’ rights. WHEC does not normally provide links to external web sites unless there is a clear association with WHEC’s activities. Links from the WHEC web site Because a link from the WomensHealthSection.com may be interpreted as an endorsement by WHEC of everything on the site to which the link leads, WHEC does not normally provide such links unless there is a clear association with WHEC’s activities. The WHEC web site may from time to time have some exceptions to this rule for specific purposes, but links from WomensHealthSection.com, are normally reserved for the web sites of institutions or organizations with which WHEC works closely. The provision of a link from the WomensHealthSection.com, to other sites does not indicate endorsement of those sites by WHEC, and WHEC accepts no responsibility for the validity or accuracy of their content. Links to the WHEC web site In line with established Internet usage, any external web site may provide a hyperlink to WomensHealthSection.com or to any of its pages without requesting permission. However this use must not infringe WHEC’s intellectual property rights, in particular relating to its name, emblem, copyright or authors’ rights. The WHEC emblem may not be used in providing a link. I am doing research. Where should I start looking for information? For research on a particular women’s health topic, begin by looking at the health topics list. Each health topic page provides lists of related sites, links and documents. The research tools page lists resources that can be used in research. These include statistical databases and the library database. Why are countries referred to the way they are? The Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC) adheres to UN terminology, and it is based on information received from the United Nations.Read More

l’Internet comme salle de classe chez la santé des femmes Par Rita Luthra, MD DR. LUTHRA est président du centre de la santé et de l’éducation des femmes, qui est associé au département d’information publique des Nations UniesRead More

25 October 2004 Dear Dr Luthra, Thank you for your letter of 15 October 2004 and congratulations to the Center on becoming associated with the UN-DPI. I would be pleased to share information about the Woman’s Health and Education Center with relevant WHO departments, however, it will also be helpful to have the following information as well: a copy of the Center’s constitution or equivalent document; copies of its membership lists; list of its officers; copies of its annual reports for the past three years and audited accounts; copies of any evaluations of its projects and/or research reports produced by the Center; if produced, a copy of its publications/media catalogue. I take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in the work of WHO. Yours sincerely, Ms. J.S. Matsumoto External Relations Officer Office of the Civil Society InitiativeRead More

Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY Education/Training Undergraduate (MB, BAO, BCh, Medicine, 1985-1991): University College Dublin, Faculty of Medicine, Dublin, Ireland Doctorate (MD, Obstetrics, 1998): University College Dublin, Faculty of Medicine Positions and Honors Positions and Employment 1991 – 92 Intern, Internal Medicine / Gen Surgery, St. Vincent’s Hospital, University College Dublin 1992 – 93 Resident, Gen Surgery / Urology, St. Vincent’s Hospital, University College Dublin 1993 – 96 Resident, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tufts University School of Medicine, New England Medical Center, Boston 1996 – 98 Fellow, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, New England Medical Center, Boston 1998 – 99 Assistant Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Staff Perinatologist, New England Medical Center, Boston 1999 – 03 Assistant Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Staff Perinatologist, Director of Perinatal Research, Director Columbia Perinatal Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia Campus, New York 2003 – Associate Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Director of OBGYN Ultrasound, Director of Perinatal Research, New York Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia Campus, New York Professional Memberships American Board of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Board Certified, Obstetrics / Gynecology, 1999 American Board of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Board Certified, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, 2001 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 1993 to present American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, 1997 to present Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2001 to present International Society for Prenatal Diagnosis, Member, 1999 to present International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Member, 2000 to present Massachusetts Medical Society, 1993 to present Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, 1997 to present Honors Molloy Prize in Chemistry, University College Dublin, 1986 Catholic University of Ireland, First Place Scholarships, 1986 and 1987 University College Dublin, Faculty of Medicine, First Place Scholarships, 1986 and 1987 Ambrose Birmingham Gold Medal in Anatomy, University College Dublin, 1987 Dr. Henry Hutchinson Stewart Scholarships, Biochemistry and Pharmacology, National University Ireland, 1987 and 1988 Dargan Medal in Internal Medicine, St. Vincent’s Hospital, University College Dublin, 1989 Dr. Francis McLaughlin Medal in Psychiatry, St. Vincent’s Hospital, University College Dublin, 1990 Sean Malone Gold Medal in Psychiatry, University College Dublin, 1990 Colman Saunders Gold Medal in Paediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, University College Dublin, 1990 Surgeon Hugh Boyle Kennedy Medal in Surgery, University College Dublin, 1991 The 1941 Gold Medal, Graduated First Place in Medical Faculty, University College Dublin, 1991 Boston Obstetric and Gynecologic Society Prize Paper, 1996 Resident of the Year, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, 1996 First Place Clinical Research Presentation, New England Perinatal Society, Annual Scientific Meeting, 1997 Best Oral Research Presentation, Ultrasound and Prenatal Diagnosis, Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine, Annual Meeting, 2002 Selected peer-reviewed publications (in chronological order) Malone FD, Craigo SD, Chelmow D, D’Alton ME. Outcome of Twin Gestations Complicated by a Single Anomalous Fetus. Obstet Gynecol 1996;88:1-5. Malone FD, Geary M, Chelmow D, Stronge J, Boylan P, D’Alton ME. Prolonged Labor in Nulliparas: Lessons from the Active Management of Labor. Obstet Gynecol 1996;88:211-215. Malone FD, Nores JA, Athanassiou A, Craigo SD, Simpson LL, Garmel SH, D’Alton ME. Validation of Fetal Telemedicine as a New Obstetric Imaging Technique. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1997;177:626-631. Malone FD, Athanassiou A, Nores JA, D’Alton ME. Poor Perinatal Outcome Associated with Maternal Brucella Abortus Infection. Obstet Gynecol 1997;90:674-676. Malone FD, Crombleholme TM, Nores JA, Athanassiou A, D’Alton ME. Pitfalls of the Double-Bubble Sign – A Case of Congenital Duodenal Duplication. Fetal Diagn Ther 1997;12:298-300. D’Alton ME, Malone FD, Chelmow D, Ward BE, Bianchi DW. Defining the Role of Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization on Uncultured Amniocytes for Prenatal Diagnosis of Aneuploides. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1997;176:769-776. Nores J, Malone FD, Athanassiou A, Craigo SD, Simpson LL, D’Alton ME. Validation of First Trimester Telemedicine as an Obstetric Imaging Technology: A Feasibility Study. Obstet Gynecol 1997;90:353-356. Nores JA, Athanassiou A, Malone FD, D’Alton ME. Technical Dependability of Obstetric Ultrasound Transmission via ISDN. Telemed J 1997;3:191-195. Nores JA, Athanassiou A, Elkadry E, Malone FD, Craigo SD, D’Alton ME. Gender Differences in Twin-To-Twin Transfusion Syndrome. Obstet Gynecol 1997;90:580-582. Malone FD, Kaufman GE, Chelmow D, Athanassiou A, Nores JA, D’Alton ME. Maternal Morbidity Associated with Triplet Pregnancy. Am J Perinatol 1998;15:73-77. Malone FD, Athanassiou A, Nores J, D’Alton ME. Effect of ISDN Bandwidth on Image Quality for Telemedicine Transmission of Obstetric Ultrasonography. Telemed J 1998;4:161-165. Malone FD, Ralston S, D’Alton ME. Increased Nuchal Translucency and Fetal Chromosomal Defects. N Engl J Med 1998;338:1228-1229. Malone FD, Craigo SD, Giatras I, Carlson J, Athanassiou A, D’Alton ME. Suggested Ultrasound Parameters for the Assessment of Fetal Well-being During Chronic Hemodialysis. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 1998;11:450-452. Malone FD, Athanassiou A, Craigo SD, Simpson LL, D’Alton ME. Cost Issues Surrounding the Use of Computerized Telemedicine for Obstetric Ultrasonography. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 1998;12:120-124. Kaufman GE, Malone FD, Harvey-Wilkes KB, Chelmow D, Penzias AS, D’Alton ME. Neonatal Morbidity and Mortality Associated with Triplet Pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol 1998;91:342-348. Giatras I, Levy DP, Malone FD, Carlson JA, Jungers P. Pregnancy During Dialysis: Management Guidelines. Nephrol Dial Transpl 1998;13:3266-3272. Malone FD, Chelmow D, Athanassiou A, D’Alton ME. The Impact of Gestational Age at Delivery on the Economics of Triplet Pregnancy. J Mat Fetal Med 1999;8:256-261. Malone FD, Berkowitz RL, D’Alton ME. Integrated Screening for Down’s Syndrome. N Engl J Med 1999;341:1935-6. Malone FD, Marino T, Bianchi DW, Johnston K, D’Alton ME. Isolated Clubfoot Diagnosed Prenatally: Is Karyotyping Indicated? Obstet Gynecol 2000;95:437-440. Malone FD, Berkowitz RL, Canick JA, D’Alton ME. First Trimester Screening for Aneuploidy – Research or Standard of Care? Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000;182:490-496. Farina A, Malone FD, Bianchi DW. Fetal sonographic findings: analysis of the most frequent patterns and their specificity of association. Am J Med Genet 2000;91:331-339. Devine PC, Malone FD, Athanassiou A, Harvey-Wilkes KB, D’Alton ME. Maternal and Neonatal Outcome of 100 Consecutive Triplet Pregnancies. Am J Perinatol 2001;18:225-235. Cleary-Goldman J, Connolly T, Chelmow D, Malone FD. Accuracy of the TDX-FLM Assay of Amniotic Fluid: A Comparison of Vaginal Pool Samples with Amniocentesis. J Mat Fetal Neonat Med 2002;11:374-377. Malone FD, D’Alton MD. « First Trimester Sonographic Screening for Down Syndrome ». Obstetrics and Gynecology, In Press, 2003. Research Support Ongoing Research Support U10 HD 40485 Malone (PI) 4/01/01 – 3/31/06 NIH/NICHD National Institute of Child Health and Human Development – Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network The goal of this study is to collaborate with 14 other major academic perinatal units in the United States to identify and conduct a range of clinical research trials relevant to adverse perinatal and maternal outcomes. Role: Principal Investigator RO1 HD 38652-03S4 D’Alton (PI) 6/15/99 – 5/31/04 NIH/NICHD The FASTER Trial: First and Second Trimester Evaluation of Risk for Aneuploidy The goal of this study is to compare first and second trimester approaches to screening for fetal Down syndrome, using a range of biochemical and sonographic tests in a population of 38,000 patients drawn from the general United States population. Role: Co-Principal Investigator RO1 HD 38652-03S1 D’Alton (PI) 6/01/01 – 5/31/04 The FASTER Trial: Congenital Cardiac Malformation Screening Study The goal of this study is to evaluate the role of nuchal translucency sonography as a screening test for congenital cardiac malformations, and to measure the accuracy of fetal echocardiography in diagnosing such malformations. Role: Co-InvestigatorRead More

President Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC) NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations e-mail: Rita@WomensHealthSection.com Dr. Rita Luthra is President of The Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC) which is NGO (non-governmental organization) in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. It is also affiliated with the World Health Organization (WHO), PMNCH (Partnership for Maternal and Child Health at WHO), The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), UN Department of Public Information ( UN DPI), UN Women, UN University (UNU), UN Foundation (UNF), and Every Woman Every Child Global Strategy initiative of the UN Secretary-General. Established in 2001, The Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC) undertakes initiatives with the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO), to achieve the hopes and dreams of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with special focus on Maternal and Child Health. Dr. Luthra has worked with various international organizations, such as the UNA-USA, Peace Corps, Population Council and World Health Organization. Dr. Luthra’s main interest is international health and development. She has 25 years of expertise in the project/program development at the National and International levels with various respectable international organizations, and innovative health technology systems such as telemedicine, online distance education and various e-Health management systems. The use of information science and telecommunications to support the practice of medicine when distance separates the caregiver from the patient is the way forward to make medical care more affordable and more accessible in every country. A strong and vital health workforce is an investment in health for today and the future. It has profound effect on all the citizens of the world, political, social, and economic systems. There are 3 leading purposes of the health-related uses of information and communication technologies (ICT) in low- and middle-income countries: To extend geographic access to health care; To improve data management; and To facilitate communication between patients and physicians outside the physician’s office. In 2018 at High Level Political Forum (HLPF), Dr. Luthra presented WHEC Global Health Line’s (WGHL’s) LINK (Learning and Innovation Network for Knowledge Solutions) Access Project – To provide access to reproductive health research worldwide, at UN Headquarters, NYC, New York (USA). Available @ UN Web TV: http://webtv.un.org/watch/player/5807660229001 Dr. Luthra was born and grew up in Rajasthan, India and currently resides in Massachusetts, USA. She received her education and medical degree (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) M.B.B.S. from University of Rajasthan, Jaipur (India) in 1974. M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) in Obstetrics and Gynecology, in 1978 from The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh (India). After finishing the residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Boston, MA (USA) she received Fellowship in Obstetrics and Gynecology from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, in 1986. She practiced Obstetrics and Gynecology mostly in Massachusetts (USA) till November 2015. Currently working with the UN and WHO on various initiatives to achieve Universal Health Care (UHC) and improve maternal and child health. Dr. Luthra is Editor-in-Chief of the e-learning publications: http://www.WomensHealthSection.com and WHEC Update. The initiatives of WHEC are also posted on CSO Net (Civil Society Net) under Best Practices and Projects on World Map ID # 364, title: Continuing Medical Education for the Globalized World. http://www.WomensHealthSection.com – knowledge that touches patients, is a vision for the globalized world. Please visit our Letters of Support Page: http://www.womenshealthsection.com/whec/letters We welcome everyone. Dedicated to Women’s and Children’s Healthcare and Wellbeing WorldwideRead More

Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC) denounces scam e-mails falsely implying association or affiliation with WHEC. Various scam e-mails purporting or implying to be from or associated with the Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC) or its e-learning Project: WomensHealthSection.com, have been circulating on the Internet. Some of these e-mails request detailed information and/or money from individuals, businesses or non-profit organizations with the promise that they will receive funds or other benefits like posting on WomensHealthSection.com, in return. Other e-mails ask for registration fees for conferences/CME courses allegedly sponsored by WHEC. These e-mails sometimes carry the WHEC logo, and emanate from or refer to an e-mail address which is made to look like a WHEC address. These e-mails do not emanate from WHEC, and are not in any way associated with WHEC projects or events or CME courses. WHEC wishes to warn the public of these misleading practices, and suggests that recipients of invitations such as those described above (whether sent by e-mail or communicated in any other way) verify their authenticity before sending any response. In particular, WHEC suggests that recipients do not send money or personal information in response to invitations from anyone who claims to be awarding funds, grants, scholarships, certificates, lottery winnings, or prizes, and/or who requests payment for registration fees and hotel-rooms reservations, in the name of WHEC. It is not WHEC policy to charge for attendance at meetings. If you have any doubts about the authenticity of an e-mail, letter or phone call purportedly from, for or on behalf of WHEC, please contact us. WHEC is trying to put a halt to these misleading practices, and we would therefore greatly appreciate your help in bringing suspect communications to our attention.Read More

Dr. James F. Phillips Senior Lecturer Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University 60 Haven Avenue, B-317 New York, NY 10032 email – jfp2113@columbia.edu James F. Phillips is a senior associate in the Population Council’s Policy Research Division. He previously worked in the Population Council’s International Programs Division in Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Thailand. Prior to his work with the Population Council, Phillips held positions in Nigeria with the International Committee of the Red Cross and UNICEF. Dr. Phillips conducts field experiments that measure the demographic role of family planning and child survival programs. He directed Bangladesh’s Matlab Community Health and Family Planning Project which demonstrated the demographic potential of family planning services in that country. The Matlab service model became the basis for national health reform in the 1980s and 1990s. Dr. Phillips is currently working on a collaborative research program with the Ghana Health Service and the Navrongo Health Research Centre. When the Navrongo Experiment established the feasibility of reducing fertility and mortality with community-based health and family planning services in 1999, a national scaling-up initiative, known as the Community-based Health Planning and Services initiative, was launched to extend the Navrongo service model to all 110 Ghanaian districts. Phillips serves as the senior advisor to the Ghana Health Service for this program, where he collaborates on research designed to guide, refine, and evaluate the scaling-up effort. Dr. Phillips is currently collaborating with his Ghanaian colleagues on a program of exchange that will extend health service innovations from Ghana to Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, and Ethiopia. In 2005, Dr. Phillips launched a new collaborative venture with the Vietnam Ministry of Health that aims to apply evidence-based planning methods to health reform in that country. Dr. Phillips is a member of several international science advisory boards and has launched scientific research networks on issues related to health sector reform, reproductive health, and demographic research methodology. He holds an M.S. degree in population studies from the University of Hawaii, and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Michigan. Phillips has published books on the evaluation of family planning programs, the demography of South Asia, and population policy in Bangladesh. He has journal publications on the demography of Asia and Africa, health policy, computer science, and other topics.Read More