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Prof Veronique Filippi

Professor

United Kingdom

I conduct interdisciplinary research to help improve pregnant women's health in low- and middle-income settings, where most maternal complications and deaths take place.

My main area of expertise is on estimating the number of obstetric complications and on capturing their lasting impact on women’s health and lives through cohort studies. My initial research focused on developing the concept of near-miss complications, how their burden can be best measured and how quality of care can be improved by conducting near-miss audits in health facilities.

I am also keen on addressing key determinants of adverse pregnancy outcomes and on testing interventions that work. I have evaluated with complex interventions designed to reduce maternal mortality and/or improve infant health (EVA-PMDUP, FEMHEALTH, Alive and Thrive). At present my research largely focus on the impact of climate change, especially extreme heat, on maternal and newborn health in Africa and on piloting climate adaptation interventions (CHAMNHA and HIGH Horizons project).

In terms of academic disciplines, my undergraduate degree was in political sciences. I then studied demography and epidemiology.

Affiliations

Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and International Health
Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health

Centres

Centre for Evaluation
Centre for Maternal Adolescent Reproductive & Child Health

Teaching

I am currently researching:

-The impact of climate change on maternal and newborn health in African countries (member of CHAMNHA and HIGH Horizons project) and how adverse effects can be avoided by testing climate change adaptation strategies.

-The quality of caesarean section and peripartum hysterectomy in low and middle income countries, with my specific focus being on informed consent, counselling and debriefing (MOMENTUM project)

-The development and testing of a respectful care intervention in South Africa (MRC Learning Health Systems/ STAR project led by SAMRC)

-I am a member of the PRECISE/DYAD network, which is conducting a large multi-country pregnancy cohort of placental disorders

I am looking for new collaborations and funding on climate change adaptation interventions for maternal and newborn health.

Research

At present, I am the LSHTM Academic Lead for the development of the online MSc on Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy and Programming targetting professionals working in low and middle income settings. Our African lead partner for this new MSc is the University of Ghana School of Public Health. They work with us in developing and delivering the MSc.

I supervise PhD students in maternal health and epidemiology. My current doctoral students work on the following topics: improving consent for obstetric surgery, addressing the neglect of women's risk of death and complications in the extended postpartum period, assessing the case fatality of obstetric complications as a measure of hospital performance, documenting near-miss abortion complications in humanitarian settings, exploring the relationships between women's work and wellbeing and estimating the impact of parental leave on parents' mental health.

Research Area
Health outcomes
Health status measurement
Health systems
Methodology
Quality improvement
Reproductive health
Systematic reviews
Demography
Epidemiology
Climate change
Country
Benin
Burkina Faso
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa (all income levels)

Selected Publications

The effect of the Alive & Thrive initiative on exclusive breastfeeding in rural Burkina Faso: a repeated cross-sectional cluster randomised controlled trial.
CRESSWELL, JA; Ganaba, R; SARRASSAT, S; Somé, H; Diallo, AH; COUSENS, S; FILIPPI, V;
2019
The Lancet Global Health
Does supportive legislation guarantee access to pregnancy termination and postabortion care services? Findings from a facility census in Central Province, Zambia.
CRESSWELL, JA; Owolabi, OO; Chelwa, N; DENNIS, ML; Gabrysch, S; Vwalika, B; Mbizvo, M; FILIPPI, V; CAMPBELL, OM R;
2018
BMJ global health
Involving male partners in maternity care in Burkina Faso: a randomized controlled trial.
Daniele, MA; Ganaba, R; SARRASSAT, S; COUSENS, S; Rossier, C; Drabo, S; Ouedraogo, D; FILIPPI, V;
2018
Bulletin of the World Health Organization
A new conceptual framework for maternal morbidity
FILIPPI, V; Chou, D; Barreix, M; Say, L;
2018
International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics
'Rowing against the current': the policy process and effects of removing user fees for caesarean sections in Benin.
Dossou, J-P; CRESSWELL, JA; Makoutodé, P; De Brouwere, V; Witter, S; FILIPPI, V; Kanhonou, LG; Goufodji, SB; LANGE, IL; Lawin, L; Affo, F; Marchal, B;
2018
BMJ global health
Quality of routine essential care during childbirth: clinical observations of uncomplicated births in Uttar Pradesh, India.
SHARMA, G; POWELL-JACKSON, T; Haldar, K; BRADLEY, J; FILIPPI, V;
2017
Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Diversity and divergence: the dynamic burden of poor maternal health.
GRAHAM, W; WOODD, S; Byass, P; FILIPPI, V; GON, G; VIRGO, S; Chou, D; Hounton, S; Lozano, R; Pattinson, R; Singh, S;
2016
Lancet
The costs of 'free': Experiences of facility-based childbirth after Benin's caesarean section exemption policy.
LANGE, IL; Kanhonou, L; Goufodji, S; RONSMANS, C; FILIPPI, V;
2016
Social science & medicine (1982)
Cost and impact of policies to remove and reduce fees for obstetric care in Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Morocco.
Witter, S; Boukhalfa, C; CRESSWELL, JA; Daou, Z; FILIPPI, V; Ganaba, R; Goufodji, S; LANGE, IL; Marchal, B; Richard, F; FEMHealth team,;
2016
International journal for equity in health
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