USA Health researcher presents findings from landmark study on maternal and child health

By Casandra Andrews
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Maran Ramani, M.D., MPH, MSHA, MHSQS, a neonatologist, researcher and professor of pediatrics at the University of South Alabama’s Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine, recently presented findings from an international study exploring the potential of an antibiotic to protect newborns from the devastating effects of birth asphyxia, a condition that remains a leading cause of infant death and long-term disability in low-resource settings.

Ramani presented the study’s findings at the prestigious Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting in Hawaii in April, where the research he led was selected for a platform presentation — an honor reserved for high-impact studies.

“The results were both promising and reassuring,” Ramani said. “Not only is intrapartum azithromycin safe for mothers, as previously confirmed by an A-Plus trial, but it also poses no risk of growth or neurodevelopmental impairment in their children.”

In 2022, Ramani was awarded a three-year grant from The Thrasher Research Foundation to conduct a multinational clinical trial, known as the Azithromycin Brain neuroprotection for Children (ABC) study, to determine whether a single oral dose of the antibiotic azithromycin can be repurposed to have neuroprotective benefits for infants who suffer a lack of oxygen to the brain before or during birth.

The study took place in five countries: India, Pakistan, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Guatemala. Through the grant, Ramani worked with teams of physicians and scientists from those countries to improve health outcomes for infants born in low-resource settings.

Ramani, who also serves as chief medical officer for USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital and the division chief of neonatology and medical director for the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) said the landmark study marks a historic milestone for USA, standing as one of the largest global health clinical trials led by a faculty member.

“It underscores the university’s growing influence in international health research,” he said, “and its commitment to improving outcomes for mothers and babies worldwide.”

Ramani is board certified in general pediatrics and neonatal-perinatal medicine by the American Board of Pediatrics. He completed a fellowship in neonatology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and a pediatric residency at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, Texas.

In addition to medical training, Ramani earned master’s degrees in healthcare administration (MSHA) and hospital quality and safety (MSHQS) from UAB. His research interests include global health and neurodevelopmental outcomes of prematurity and birth asphyxia.