GAPPS meetings Seattle
International Conference on Prematurity and Stillbirth.

On May 7 – 10, approximately 2000 maternal, newborn and child health leaders gathered in Seattle, WA, USA to raise awareness of this immense global health burden, propose a roadmap for future research efforts and build a foundation for policy changes that support prevention and treatment globally. Presentations of this ground breaking meeting are available on line at http://www.gapps.org/

Workshops included:

1. Normal Gestation Biology and Labor
2. Abnormal Gestation Biology and physiology
3. Genetic and Environmental Factors
4. Stillbirth Epidemiology
5. Preterm Birth Epidemiology
6. Intervention Development
7. Prioritization of Interventions for Scaling Up
8. Community-based Strategies and Constraints
9. Facility-based Strategies and Constraints
10. Advocacy and Policy
11. Resources and Development Funding
12. Ethics and Social Justice

Reports and goals that were developed in these workshops will be made available. Each section was asked to develop priorities and timelines. Dr Fretts, Dr Gardosi and Dr Frøen all members from the scientific committee of the ISA participated in the Stillbirth Epidemiology. This group’s priorities centred on development of a minimal dataset, and the development of a classification system that would be applicable in the developing and developed countries, consider the timing of stillbirth (intrapartum and antepartum), the level of evidence available and would mesh with the up-coming ICD 11 codes.

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