What the WOMAN Trials Revealed About Anaemia, Postpartum Haemorrhage and Maternal Death
The video details findings from the WHO‑sponsored WOMAN trials, which examined tranexamic acid (TXA) as a treatment and preventive measure for postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) in low‑resource settings. The original WOMAN trial enrolled about 20,000 women across Africa and South Asia and showed that TXA given within three hours of bleeding cut PPH‑related mortality by roughly one‑third. A follow‑up WOMAN‑2 study targeting anemic mothers, however, found no reduction in bleeding or death, revealing that anemia drives fatal outcomes even when blood loss appears modest. Professor Nik Belu recounts a harrowing delivery in Nigeria and shares Sana’s story from Pakistan, illustrating how severe nutritional anemia, cultural food bias, and lack of antenatal care leave women vulnerable. He notes that women often dismiss menstrual blood loss as normal, missing early signs of iron deficiency. The results compel policymakers to prioritize anemia screening before pregnancy, expand iron supplementation, and fund the upcoming WOMAN‑3 trial that will test combined iron and TXA therapy. Without such interventions, maternal mortality will remain disproportionately high in the world’s poorest regions.
My Path to Improving Cancer Care Worldwide
Sagar Grewal, an LSHTM MSc graduate, now works as a resident physician at Toronto’s Princess Margaret and Odette Sunnybrook Cancer Centres. He credits the health policy, planning and finance program for equipping him with analytical tools that shape his clinical...
How I Became a Biology Lecturer: Richard's Story
Richard describes how his master's at LSHDM launched a seven‑year malaria research stint in Tanzania, which formed the core of his PhD. He worked under Professor Mark Roland, trapping mosquitoes in rural villages, identifying species, and measuring infection rates to...
How I Became a Director of Education in Global Health and Social Medicine: Deborah's Story
Deborah Hersync, director of education at McMaster’s Mary Hersync School of Global Health and Social Medicine and assistant professor, recounts her journey from Latin‑American fieldwork to a leadership role in global health education. She chose the London School of Hygiene & Tropical...
How I Dream of Reducing the Global Burden of Cancer
The speaker, a public‑health professional, outlines a vision to dramatically lower the global cancer burden by making radiotherapy universally accessible. He stresses that developing new therapies is only half the solution; the other half lies in dismantling barriers that prevent patients—especially...
How I Became a Resident Physician at the University of Toronto: Sagar's Story
The video follows Sagar’s personal journey from studying public health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) to becoming a resident physician at the University of Toronto’s Princess Margaret and Sunnybrook Cancer Centres. He highlights how the...