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Mrs Harriet Ruysen

Research Fellow

United Kingdom

I am a researcher and midwife with clinical experience working in the UK, New Zealand and with Médecins Sans Frontières, where I supported maternal and newborn health programmes in low-resource and conflict settings; including Somaliland and the Democratic Republic of Congo. I returned to the UK to undertake an MSc in Public Health for Developing Countries before joining the team here at LSHTM.

My midwifery career is driven by a firm belief that all women should have equitable access to quality healthcare.

Affiliations

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

Teaching

I enjoy teaching, mentoring and supporting students and am a tutor for the Reproductive & Sexual Health Research MSc.

I co-organise a course in Advanced Research Methods and the Ethics, Public Health and Human Rights module.

I teach on:

Current Issues in Safe Motherhood and Perinatal Health

Applying Public Health Principles in Developing Countries

Diploma of Tropical Nursing

I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Research

My areas of interest are focused on improving the quality of maternal and newborn care, especially in low-resource and humanitarian settings.

I am a research fellow for the Every Newborn Action Plan Metrics team led by Professor Joy Lawn in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO). Our work is focused on improving global health outcomes for mothers and newborns through the development of feasible metrics for maternal and newborn health.

The Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP), is underwritten by a 2014 World Health Assembly Resolution, and aims to support countries in reaching the target of fewer than 12 newborn deaths per 1000 live births, and fewer than 12 stillbirths per 1,000 total births by 2030. Data are crucial to track progress towards this ENAP vision for quality of care at birth. However, there is a major gap for data to track programmatic coverage, quality and service readiness. As seen from programmes such as immunisation, malaria and HIV, these data are fundamental for local programme planning and financing, especially to ensure we reach the poorest families, as well as for global governance.

Research Area
Conflict
Electronic health records
Global Health
Maternal health
Neonatal health
Perinatal health
Public health
Epidemiology
Qualitative research
Mixed methods research
Country
Bangladesh
Congo
Nepal
Somalia
Tanzania
United Kingdom
Region
East Asia & Pacific (developing only)
Sub-Saharan Africa (developing only)

Selected Publications

Assessment of the validity of the measurement of newborn and maternal health-care coverage in hospitals (EN-BIRTH): an observational study.
DAY, LT; Sadeq-Ur Rahman, Q; Ehsanur Rahman, A; Salim, N; Kc, A; RUYSEN, H; Tahsina, T; Masanja, H; Basnet, O; GORE-LANGTON, GR; Zaman, SB; SHABANI, J; Jha, AK; GORDEEV, VS; Ameen, S; Shamba, D; Jha, B; BOGGS, D; Hossain, T; Shirima, K; Bastola, RC; PEVEN, K; Siddique, AB; Mbaruku, G; Paudel, R; ... EN-BIRTH Expert Advisory Group,
2020
Lancet Glob Health
Uterotonics for prevention of postpartum haemorrhage: EN-BIRTH multi-country validation study.
RUYSEN, H; SHABANI, J; HANSON, C; DAY, LT; Pembe, AB; PEVEN, K; Rahman, QS-U; Thakur, N; Shirima, K; Tahsina, T; Gurung, R; Tarimo, MN; Moran, AC; LAWN, JE; EN-BIRTH Study Group,;
2020
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
Immediate newborn care and breastfeeding: EN-BIRTH multi-country validation study.
Tahsina, T; Hossain, AT; RUYSEN, H; Rahman, AE; DAY, LT; PEVEN, K; Rahman, QS-U; Khan, J; SHABANI, J; Kc, A; Mazumder, T; Zaman, SB; Ameen, S; Kong, S; Amouzou, A; Lincetto, O; El Arifeen, S; LAWN, JE; EN-BIRTH Study Group,;
2020
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
"Every Newborn-BIRTH" protocol: observational study validating indicators for coverage and quality of maternal and newborn health care in Bangladesh, Nepal and Tanzania.
DAY, LT; RUYSEN, H; GORDEEV, VS; GORE-LANGTON, GR; BOGGS, D; COUSENS, S; MOXON, SG; BLENCOWE, H; Baschieri, A; Rahman, AE; Tahsina, T; Zaman, SB; Hossain, T; Rahman, QS-U; Ameen, S; El Arifeen, S; Kc, A; Shrestha, SK; Kc, NP; Singh, D; Jha, AK; Jha, B; Rana, N; Basnet, O; Joshi, E; ... LAWN, JE.
2019
Journal of global health
Saving Lives at Birth; development of a retrospective theory of change, impact framework and prioritised metrics.
LALLI, M; RUYSEN, H; BLENCOWE, H; Yee, K; Clune, K; DeSilva, M; Leffler, M; Hillman, E; El-Noush, H; Mulligan, J; Murray, JC; Silver, K; LAWN, JE;
2018
Globalization and health
Count every newborn; a measurement improvement roadmap for coverage data.
MOXON, SG; RUYSEN, H; Kerber, KJ; Amouzou, A; Fournier, S; Grove, J; Moran, AC; Vaz, LM E; BLENCOWE, H; Conroy, N; Gülmezoglu, A; Vogel, JP; Rawlins, B; Sayed, R; Hill, K; Vivio, D; Qazi, SA; Sitrin, D; SEALE, AC; Wall, S; Jacobs, T; Ruiz Peláez, J; Guenther, T; Coffey, PS; Dawson, P; ... LAWN, JE.
2015
BMC pregnancy and childbirth
Measuring coverage and quality of supportive care for inpatient neonatal infections: EN-BIRTH multi-country validation study.
Hossain, AT; Ameen, S; Salim, N; Ashish, KC; RUYSEN, H; Tahsina, T; Ahmed, A; Rahman, MH; Mhajabin, S; Jabeen, S; PEVEN, K; Kong, S; DAY, LT; Nisar, YB; Assenga, E; Qazi, SA; Rahman, QS-U; El Arifeen, S; Rahman, AE; LAWN, JE; EN-BIRTH Study Group,;
2022
JOURNAL OF GLOBAL HEALTH
Respectful maternal and newborn care: measurement in one EN-BIRTH study hospital in Nepal.
Gurung, R; RUYSEN, H; Sunny, AK; DAY, LT; PENN-KEKANA, L; Målqvist, M; Ghimire, B; Singh, D; Basnet, O; Sharma, S; Shaver, T; Moran, AC; LAWN, JE; Kc, A; EN-BIRTH Study Group,;
2021
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
Barriers and enablers to routine register data collection for newborns and mothers: EN-BIRTH multi-country validation study.
Shamba, D; DAY, LT; Zaman, SB; Sunny, AK; Tarimo, MN; PEVEN, K; Khan, J; Thakur, N; Talha, MT U S; K C, A; Haider, R; RUYSEN, H; Mazumder, T; Rahman, MH; Shaikh, MZ H; Sæbø, JI; HANSON, C; SINGH, NS; SCHELLENBERG, J; Vaz, LM E; Requejo, J; LAWN, JE; EN-BIRTH Study Group,;
2021
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
Survey of women's report for 33 maternal and newborn indicators: EN-BIRTH multi-country validation study.
Ameen, S; Siddique, AB; PEVEN, K; Rahman, QS-U; DAY, LT; SHABANI, J; Kc, A; BOGGS, D; Shamba, D; Tahsina, T; Rahman, AE; Zaman, SB; Hossain, AT; Ahmed, A; Basnet, O; Malla, H; RUYSEN, H; BLENCOWE, H; Arnold, F; Requejo, J; Arifeen, SE; LAWN, JE; EN-BIRTH Study Group,;
2020
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
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