Understanding stillbirths and newborn deaths in India
The dynamics of late fetal and neonatal mortality in the Indian context
This project looks at why babies are stillborn or die in the first month of life in India by improving and analyzing birth and death records.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11393534 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From your point of view, the team will bring together hospital records, national surveys, and registry data from across India to better count and time late fetal deaths and early newborn deaths. They will work to correct undercounts and cases that are labeled incorrectly as stillbirths versus neonatal deaths and examine risks like preterm birth and low birthweight. The researchers will use existing population and clinical data rather than testing new treatments, aiming to show where deaths are happening and why so health programs can target them.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People whose pregnancies and birth outcomes are recorded in Indian hospital systems, national surveys, or registries—particularly pregnant people and families in regions with high neonatal death rates—are the most relevant to this work.
Not a fit: People outside India or those whose births are not captured in official records (for example unrecorded home births) may not be included or directly benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could help health programs find and focus on the biggest causes and places of stillbirth and newborn death, leading to better prevention and care for pregnant people and newborns.
How similar studies have performed: Many prior studies have documented high stillbirth and neonatal death rates and shown that improved surveillance helps, but large-scale correction of misclassification and undercounts in India is still relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Philadelphia, United States
- University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Guillot, Michel — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Guillot, Michel
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.