Professor David Lissauer has been awarded a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Global Research Professorship for his research on maternal sepsis in Africa.
The NIHR Research Professorship is the flagship award for the NIHR and aims to fund research leaders of the future to promote effective translation of research.
Professor Lissauer is Professor of Global Maternal and Fetal Health at the University’s Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences and is resident in Malawi, working at the Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust research institute.
Commenting on his research, Professor Lissauer said: “Maternal sepsis is one of the most important causes of death and harm to mothers and their babies during or after pregnancy. It disproportionately impacts women and their families in low income countries. This research will improve our understanding of the epidemiology of maternal infection, optimise approaches to better prevent and diagnose maternal sepsis, and we will be rigorously testing at scale a facility level intervention aiming to improve maternal sepsis outcomes.”
Professor Louise Kenny, Executive Pro Vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, said: “The faculty is very proud of David. His work on the prevention of sepsis in pregnancy is truly excellent research with impact.”
Professor Lissauer joins the University’s Professor Melita Gordon in the small group of researchers to hold this prestigious award. In 2019 Professor Gordon was awarded an NIHR Global Research Professorship for her research preventing Invasive Salmonella Disease in Africa.