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The Mailman School of Public Health Spotlights AMDD Director Lynn Freedman with Short Video

Posted on May 11 2010

Lynn Freedman, director of AMDD, discusses maternal mortality in the United States and in Africa. She highlights AMDD’s support of innovative strategies that address the human resource crisis in maternal and newborn health care.

Watch the video to get a glimpse into a growing area of AMDD’s work.

Our work is urgent

  • Over 7 million pregnancy-related deaths, including maternal deaths, newborn deaths, and stillbirths happen each year. That’s 50% more than the annual deaths from AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined.
  • 99% of maternal deaths occur in developing countries.
  • 75% of maternal deaths can be prevented by skilled health care providers backed up by emergency obstetric care (EmOC).
  • We have until 2015 to reduce maternal deaths by 75% to meet Millennium Development Goal 5. We can’t do this without strong health systems that ensure universal access to EmOC.