USA Health neonatologist publishes global study in scientific journal
The research results were both promising and reassuring, Ramani said. Not only is intrapartum azithromycin safe for mothers, as previously confirmed by a clinical trial, but it also poses no risk of growth impairment or neurodevelopmental impairment in their children.
By Casandra Andrews
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With a mission to improve pediatric and maternal health outcomes in communities close to home and around the world, USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital neonatologist Maran Ramani, M.D., MPH, MSHA, MHSQS, recently published findings from a rigorous global study in the scientific journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Last summer, Ramani presented the findings that explored 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.
“Conducting a multi-country study across India, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, and Guatemala required immense coordination, dedication, and passion,” said Ramani, who also serves as a researcher and professor of pediatrics at the University of South Alabama’s Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine.
“I am deeply grateful to our phenomenal global research team, the Thrasher Research Foundation for their vital funding, the NIH Global Network for site sponsorship, and the Research Triangle Institute for their rigorous data hosting and analysis. Above all, I would like to thank the brave mothers and infants who participated.”
Ramani said the results of the research were both promising and reassuring: Not only is intrapartum azithromycin safe for mothers, as previously confirmed in a clinical trial, but it also poses no risk of growth impairment 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.
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 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.
He 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. His research interests include global health and neurodevelopmental outcomes of prematurity and birth asphyxia.
