Professor Eric Ohuma

Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology

United Kingdom

Email
Eric

I am a Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, with a DPhil (PhD) in Medical Statistics from the University of Oxford (UK), and an MSc in Medical Statistics from London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Before joining LSHTM, I was a Child Growth & Development Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Global Child Health (SickKids) - Canada. Previous to this, I was at the University of Oxford as the Lead Statistician of the INTERGROWTH-21st Project, an international multi-centre project that resulted in some key publications i.e., the international standards for pregnancy dating, standards for monitoring fetal size during pregnancy, neonatal size at birth, postnatal standards for monitoring preterms, and gestational weight gain standards among others. The international growth standards are currently used in several hospitals/countries and have contributed to changes in clinical practise. I started my research carreer at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)/Wellcome Trust Research Centre as a Statistics intern and then was employed as a Medical Statistician.

Affiliations

Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and International Health

Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health

Centres

Centre for Maternal Adolescent Reproductive & Child Health

Teaching

Eric is one of the module organisers for Statistical Methods in Epidemiology. He teaches on Statistical Methods in Epidemiology and Advanced Statistical Methods in Epidemiology. Currently supervising MSc and PhD students.

Research

My research interests are particularly in maternal, newborn, and child health. Specifically, statistical methodology and applications for child growth and development, clinical prediction modelling, and impact evaluation of complex interventions.

Research Area

Bayesian analysis

Capacity development

Child health

Complex interventions

Global health

Statistical methods

Perinatal health

Maternal health

Newborn health

Health impact analysis

Health systems

Modelling

Country

Brazil

Kenya

Ghana

Tanzania

Malawi

Nigeria

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa (developing only)

Least developed countries: UN classification

Selected Publications

Cost of health systems strengthening for small and sick newborn care in four sub-Saharan African countries implemented with NEST360: incremental cost analyses.

TARUS, A; Kumar, MB; Penzias, RE; Kamuyu, R; CROSS, JH; SIPALO, M; Gicheha, E; Bohne, CA; Okello, G; Macharia, WM; Paul, C; Salim, N; Shamba, D; Ngwala, SK; Zimba, E; Chiume, M; Odedere, O; Ezeaka, VC; Gathara, D; Alooh, M; Barasa, E; Powell-Jackson, T; Oden, M; Richards-Kortum, R; LAWN, JE; ... NEST360 incremental cost data collaborative author,

2026

The Lancet. Global health

Risk factors and population attributable fraction for large-for-gestational-age and macrosomic births in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2025: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

Kirakoya-Samadoulougou, F; BLENCOWE, H; Ilboudo, D; Ukwishaka, J; Suarez Idueta, L; Hazel, EA; OHUMA, E; Erchick, DJ; Katz, J; Lee, AC; Black, RE;

2026

BMJ open

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of school meals programmes on education, health and nutrition, social protection and agriculture in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review protocol.

Miki, GN; KIBOI, WK; OHUMA, EO; BUNDY, DA P;

2026

BMJ open

Predictive Modelling for Stillbirths and Neonatal Deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa

AKUZE, J; Victor, A; Bourke, M; Wanduru, P; BLENCOWE, H; OHUMA, EO;

2026

Zenodo

Are hospital management practices associated with enhanced quality of care for small and sick newborns? A nationwide cross-sectional study using linked inpatient admission records in Malawi.

WARD, C; Chimwaza, W; Phiri, VS; GOODMAN, C; Kumitawa, A; MALATA, M; Nyondo-Mipando, AL; BOTTOMLEY, C; Phiri, ER M; Ngwala, S; LAWN, JE; CROSS, J; OHUMA, E; POWELL-JACKSON, T; Mwapasa, V;

2026

Journal of Global Health

Normative growth trajectories of fetal brain regions validated by satisfactory maturation of neurodevelopmental domains at 2 years of age.

Wyburd, MK; Kennedy, SH; Fernandes, M; Dinsdale, NK; Hesse, LS; Gunier, RB; Cheikh Ismail, L; OHUMA, EO; Gravett, MG; Purwar, M; Qingqing, W; Winsey, A; Bertino, E; Jaffer, Y; Carvalho, M; Barros, FC; Stein, A; Noble, AJ; Molnár, Z; Jenkinson, M; Nichols, TE; Smith, S; Bhutta, ZA; Papageorghiou, AT; Villar, J; ... Namburete, AI L.

2026

Nature communications

Implications for Newborn and Child Growth Classification Using INTERGROWTH-21st and WHO Child Growth Standards.

Vesel, L; Strout, S; Parker, S; VICTOR, A; Ngatia, B; OHUMA, EO;

2026

BJOG

Predictive models for stillbirths and neonatal deaths: Protocol for a global scoping review with focus on sub-Saharan Africa.

Chaweewong, T; Wanduru, P; VICTOR, A; Bourke, M; BLENCOWE, H; OHUMA, EO; AKUZE, J;

2026

Wellcome open research

Scenario-Based Guidance for International Growth Standards (GIGS): For Whom, When, and How to Apply the INTERGROWTH-21st and WHO Child Growth Standards.

OHUMA, EO; Parker, SR; Strout, S; Ngatia, B; Vesel, L;