NEW RESEARCH GRANTS AWARDED TO REDUCE STILLBIRTH RATES AND IMPROVE BEREAVEMENT CARE

Leading voice for stillbirth action, Stillbirth Foundation Australia, together with the National Centre for Research Excellence in Stillbirth (Stillbirth CRE), today announced major new funding for stillbirth research.

Two innovative research grants will focus on investigating the unique experiences of bereaved families following prenatal diagnosis and termination of pregnancy for medical reasons and expanding the reach of the Stronger Bubba Born resources and the Healthy Yarning Guide to improve health literacy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island women regarding stillbirth and stillbirth prevention in remote Australia.

Together, the grants represent the Foundation and Stillbirth CRE’s commitment to improving research collaboration to deliver tangible impacts on the tragic stillbirth toll.

A grant of $40,000 will be awarded to Dr Sarah Fogarty, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University. Dr Fogarty and her team are seeking to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences and perspectives of bereaved parents following prenatal diagnosis and a termination for medical reasons (TFMR) in Australia. Findings from this project will inform the future development of evidence-based guidance (e.g. clinical practice guidelines and parent-facing resources) specifically addressing the unique care and support needs of these families.

Another grant of $30,000 will be awarded the Mater Research Institute at the University of Queensland for a study conducted by Valerie Ah Chee and her team to improve the delivery and adoption of a suite of information resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island women to ensure that women in remote regions of Australia are provided an opportunity to improve their health literacy around stillbirth and stillbirth prevention.

Stillbirth Foundation Australia Chair, A/Prof Sean Seeho, said these awarded grants represent a real commitment to reduce the incidence of stillbirth in communities where stillbirth rates are at unacceptable levels and to support families as they face complex medical decisions.

“With six children stillborn every day in Australia, further research to improve quality of care for pregnant women and to more effectively support families is urgently needed,” A/Prof Seeho said.

“The research projects supported by the joint Stillbirth Foundation Australia and Stillbirth CRE grants will explore important questions that may reduce the incidence of stillbirth in Australia, result in better research quality and outcomes and improve our understanding by engaging directly with bereaved parents.”

“This research is only possible because of the extraordinary efforts of the Foundation’s supporters, who give up their time to raise funds to invest into research priorities.

“These are often people who have been touched by stillbirth themselves, and are devoting time, effort and money to stop it from happening to others.”

To find out more about Stillbirth Foundation Australia visit: www.stillbirthfoundation.org.au

To find out more about the Stillbirth CRE visit: www.stillbirthcre.org.au

Media contact: office@stillbirthfoundation.org.au 02 9557 9070