Accelerating research and progress in maternal and newborn health (ARPAN CRE)

• the lack of a regional approach to monitoring quality of care using harmonised data, especially in the intrapartum and early neonatal period, that can be easily used to drive local improvements in maternal and newborn care service delivery  

• the need for feasible and context-appropriate interventions to address preventable stillbirth 

• the need for novel, acceptable and cost-effective models of care that can improve women’s access and use of postpartum contraception 

• the need to improve critical elements of quality of care, including implementing global recommendations for antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care and ensuring systems and processes for maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response are functional.

ARPAN CRE is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centre for Excellence.

Timeline

2024–2028.

Approach

ARPAN CRE builds on more than 20 years of our team’s collective efforts that have generated real improvements in women and newborn health in Asia and the Pacific region and other low and middle-income countries.

The centre brings together researchers, clinicians, policymakers and parent advocates from across the region to identify problems, co-create solutions and strengthen local research and translational capacity.

We will build on our existing strong linkages with key organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, WHO Collaborating Centres in India, Thailand and Australia, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), global professional associations, consumer and advocacy organisations and the NHMRC Stillbirth Centre for Research Excellence.

Together we will address the region’s major maternal and newborn health priorities and help reach SDG targets.

Community impact

This unique collaborative network will improve outcomes by strengthening reproductive, maternal and newborn research and facilitating implementation of guidelines across Asia and the Pacific region. We will create new knowledge, evidence, and partnerships to reduce preventable maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality and stillbirth.