DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.13149
Foreword
www.bjog.org
Foreword
Since its inception in 1964 Wellbeing of Women has gone under several names but, whether called The Childbirth Research Centre, Birthright or Wellbeing of Women, one fundamental ethos has always underpinned its existence: the immeasurable importance of peer-reviewed medical research to improving the health of women and babies. It was after witnessing the grief of yet another young man whose wife had died during childbirth (and also stirred by the results of the Perinatal Mortality Survey) that Professor Will Nixon, Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at University College Hospital, London, became determined to facilitate and improve research into reproductive medicine. To do this Professor Nixon gathered esteemed colleagues such as Lord Brain, Sir John Peel, Professor Dugald Baird and Mr Bonham Carter to set up The Childbirth Research Centre in December 1964. Many of the charity’s early grants focused on pioneering research to improve fetal monitoring and antenatal diagnosis of conditions such as Down syndrome. The first grant was to study whether folic acid deficiency was a factor in congenital malformation. Another early grant showed that medicines taken by a mother were very rarely a risk to their baby; as a result many more women were able to breastfeed when on medication. Since then the charity has funded over £51 million in medical research with achievements too numerous to mention. We were among the first charities in the world to fund research into male infertility. We funded one of the first studies to show that early contact was possible between mothers and infants undergoing intensive care, which transformed perinatal care around the world. Our grants were fundamental to the development of: genetic testing for chorionic villus sampling; the use of Doppler ultrasound in obstetrics; the use of artificial surfactant to help premature babies with breathing difficulties; the first test to predict the outcome of in vitro fertilisation treatment; the safe and effective use of laser treatment for cervical cancer; and methods of identifying women at risk of osteoporosis which became routine at hormone replacement therapy clinics. In fact, it is difficult to think of an area of obstetrics and gynaecology that has not benefited enormously from our work. I take considerable personal pride in the fact that, alongside our work in areas like pregnancy and gynaecological cancer, we are one of the only charities in the world to fund medical research into quality of life conditions such as menopause and incontinence. We have tried to reflect this breadth of research in this supplement, which marks Wellbeing of Women’s 50th anniversary, by highlighting our past achievements and continuing relevance in medical research. We asked experts across the spectrum to pick BJOG papers, resulting from our funding, which they think made a big impact in their particular field. This led to the selection of the six papers contained here, for which current experts have written contemporary commentaries. We also asked a current Research Training Fellow, Dr Penny James, to write an overview of our work in preterm birth to bring our story full circle. I have always thought of Wellbeing of Women as a family and this year more than ever has underlined how true this is. We are grateful to the countless researchers, staff, supporters and many others who have contributed through the years and enabled the research that has improved the lives of so many. We are grateful to our partners in the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Physicians and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics for their professional guidance and support. I would also like to thank everyone who has contributed to this supplement, particularly those who have written for us. Professor Peter Brocklehurst, Director of the Institute for Women’s Health at UCL and recent Chair of our Research Advisory Committee, said that ‘research is limited by funding, not by ideas and enthusiasm’. This was undoubtedly the case in 1964 and it is still the case now. There is still too much we do not know and a great deal to be done. I am certain that Wellbeing of Women will continue to be at the forefront of the medical research required to address this today, tomorrow and into the next 50 years. Liz Campbell Director Wellbeing of Women September 2014
ª 2014 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
1
Copyright of BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
Foreword
www.bjog.org
Foreword
Since its inception in 1964 Wellbeing of Women has gone under several names but, whether called The Childbirth Research Centre, Birthright or Wellbeing of Women, one fundamental ethos has always underpinned its existence: the immeasurable importance of peer-reviewed medical research to improving the health of women and babies. It was after witnessing the grief of yet another young man whose wife had died during childbirth (and also stirred by the results of the Perinatal Mortality Survey) that Professor Will Nixon, Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at University College Hospital, London, became determined to facilitate and improve research into reproductive medicine. To do this Professor Nixon gathered esteemed colleagues such as Lord Brain, Sir John Peel, Professor Dugald Baird and Mr Bonham Carter to set up The Childbirth Research Centre in December 1964. Many of the charity’s early grants focused on pioneering research to improve fetal monitoring and antenatal diagnosis of conditions such as Down syndrome. The first grant was to study whether folic acid deficiency was a factor in congenital malformation. Another early grant showed that medicines taken by a mother were very rarely a risk to their baby; as a result many more women were able to breastfeed when on medication. Since then the charity has funded over £51 million in medical research with achievements too numerous to mention. We were among the first charities in the world to fund research into male infertility. We funded one of the first studies to show that early contact was possible between mothers and infants undergoing intensive care, which transformed perinatal care around the world. Our grants were fundamental to the development of: genetic testing for chorionic villus sampling; the use of Doppler ultrasound in obstetrics; the use of artificial surfactant to help premature babies with breathing difficulties; the first test to predict the outcome of in vitro fertilisation treatment; the safe and effective use of laser treatment for cervical cancer; and methods of identifying women at risk of osteoporosis which became routine at hormone replacement therapy clinics. In fact, it is difficult to think of an area of obstetrics and gynaecology that has not benefited enormously from our work. I take considerable personal pride in the fact that, alongside our work in areas like pregnancy and gynaecological cancer, we are one of the only charities in the world to fund medical research into quality of life conditions such as menopause and incontinence. We have tried to reflect this breadth of research in this supplement, which marks Wellbeing of Women’s 50th anniversary, by highlighting our past achievements and continuing relevance in medical research. We asked experts across the spectrum to pick BJOG papers, resulting from our funding, which they think made a big impact in their particular field. This led to the selection of the six papers contained here, for which current experts have written contemporary commentaries. We also asked a current Research Training Fellow, Dr Penny James, to write an overview of our work in preterm birth to bring our story full circle. I have always thought of Wellbeing of Women as a family and this year more than ever has underlined how true this is. We are grateful to the countless researchers, staff, supporters and many others who have contributed through the years and enabled the research that has improved the lives of so many. We are grateful to our partners in the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Physicians and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics for their professional guidance and support. I would also like to thank everyone who has contributed to this supplement, particularly those who have written for us. Professor Peter Brocklehurst, Director of the Institute for Women’s Health at UCL and recent Chair of our Research Advisory Committee, said that ‘research is limited by funding, not by ideas and enthusiasm’. This was undoubtedly the case in 1964 and it is still the case now. There is still too much we do not know and a great deal to be done. I am certain that Wellbeing of Women will continue to be at the forefront of the medical research required to address this today, tomorrow and into the next 50 years. Liz Campbell Director Wellbeing of Women September 2014
ª 2014 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
1
Copyright of BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
