BIO

Dr. Esther Chin is Assistant Professor and Global Health Lead in the Department of Ob/Gyn at McMaster University. She completed medical school and Ob/Gyn residency at McMaster University and holds a Master’s in Global Surgical Care from the University of British Columbia (UBC).

She was awarded the Royal College of Canada’s 2024 International Development, Aid, and Collaboration grant to support a 3-year mobile workshop project to build capacity in safe C-sections and decrease iatrogenic fistula in rural Tanzania.

Recently, with a group of Canadian Master’s of Biomedical Engineering students, she developed STITCH, a surgical simulator for advanced surgeries to manage PPH.

Currently, she supports The Rwanda Society of Ob/Gyn’s SRHR Project in partnership with the Society of Ob/Gyns of Canada. She is also visiting teaching faculty at the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda for the MBBS Ob/Gyn Clerkship and the MSc in Global Health Delivery – Global Surgery Option. In Canada, she teaches within UBC’s Master’s of Global Surgical Care. Through UBC’s Global Surgery Lab, she co-leads and teaches the Ob/Gyn module of VitalSurg, a surgical skills curriculum in South Sudan in partnership with Médecins Sans Frontières.

She underwent training in the repair of obstetric fistula in Angola and has also worked clinically in Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Guatemala, primarily at rural district hospitals.

Her areas of interest and research are in surgical care systems, medical & surgical education, capacity building, maternal morbidity/mortality, obstetric fistula, and health equity.

BIO

Dr. Esther Chin is Assistant Professor and Global Health Lead in the Department of Ob/Gyn at McMaster University. She completed medical school and Ob/Gyn residency at McMaster University and holds a Master’s in Global Surgical Care from the University of British Columbia (UBC).

She was awarded the Royal College of Canada’s 2024 International Development, Aid, and Collaboration grant to support a 3-year mobile workshop project to build capacity in safe C-sections and decrease iatrogenic fistula in rural Tanzania.

Recently, with a group of Canadian Master’s of Biomedical Engineering students, she developed STITCH, a surgical simulator for advanced surgeries to manage PPH.

Currently, she supports The Rwanda Society of Ob/Gyn’s SRHR Project in partnership with the Society of Ob/Gyns of Canada. She is also visiting teaching faculty at the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda for the MBBS Ob/Gyn Clerkship and the MSc in Global Health Delivery – Global Surgery Option. In Canada, she teaches within UBC’s Master’s of Global Surgical Care. Through UBC’s Global Surgery Lab, she co-leads and teaches the Ob/Gyn module of VitalSurg, a surgical skills curriculum in South Sudan in partnership with Médecins Sans Frontières.

She underwent training in the repair of obstetric fistula in Angola and has also worked clinically in Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Guatemala, primarily at rural district hospitals.

Her areas of interest and research are in surgical care systems, medical & surgical education, capacity building, maternal morbidity/mortality, obstetric fistula, and health equity.

BIO

Dr. Barrett is Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at McMaster University. He holds the F.L. Johnson Chair in Women’s Reproductive Health Research. Dr. Barrett received his training from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa and the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne in the U.K and is well known for his work with preterm and multiple births as well as the care of their families.

Dr. Barrett is a World Health Organization advisor on Maternal Health and has just been appointed as Special Advisor on Maternal Mortality to the Government of Guyana.   He has been a Vice Chair of the Board of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and President of the Canadian Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine. He was the Founder and Chair of the Southern Ontario Obstetrical Network (SOON). Dr Barrett has recently been appointed by the Ontario Ministry of Health to Co-Chair the Regional Networks Operating Forum, a body formed to coordinate quality initiatives in the Ontario Maternal Child and Youth Networks.

He has held more than $25 million in grants, most prominently in the conduct of randomized controlled trials, wherein he has obtained international recognition in the field of multiple pregnancy.

BIO

Dr. Barrett is Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at McMaster University. He holds the F.L. Johnson Chair in Women’s Reproductive Health Research. Dr. Barrett received his training from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa and the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne in the U.K and is well known for his work with preterm and multiple births as well as the care of their families.

Dr. Barrett is a World Health Organization advisor on Maternal Health and has just been appointed as Special Advisor on Maternal Mortality to the Government of Guyana.   He has been a Vice Chair of the Board of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and President of the Canadian Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine. He was the Founder and Chair of the Southern Ontario Obstetrical Network (SOON). Dr Barrett has recently been appointed by the Ontario Ministry of Health to Co-Chair the Regional Networks Operating Forum, a body formed to coordinate quality initiatives in the Ontario Maternal Child and Youth Networks.

He has held more than $25 million in grants, most prominently in the conduct of randomized controlled trials, wherein he has obtained international recognition in the field of multiple pregnancy.

BIO

Dr. Rohan D’Souza is an associate professor in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, and a maternal fetal medicine physician at Hamilton Health Sciences. He holds a Canada Research Chair in Maternal Health.

Dr. D’Souza received his MD from the University of Mumbai and his Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR) from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) in the United Kingdom. He subsequently completed his fellowship training in maternal fetal medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto and received his PhD and MSc in clinical epidemiology from the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto.

RESEARCH

Dr. D’Souza’s research is focused on improving health outcomes for pregnant women and people with medical disorders and incorporating patient values and preferences into obstetric decision-making. Dr. D’Souza is co-principal investigator on a Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) funded project looking at the feasibility of establishing a Canadian Obstetric Survey System (CanOSS) for reporting, reviewing and reducing severe health complications in pregnancy.

BIO

Dr. Rohan D’Souza is an associate professor in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, and a maternal fetal medicine physician at Hamilton Health Sciences. He holds a Canada Research Chair in Maternal Health.

Dr. D’Souza received his MD from the University of Mumbai and his Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR) from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) in the United Kingdom. He subsequently completed his fellowship training in maternal fetal medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto and received his PhD and MSc in clinical epidemiology from the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto.

RESEARCH

Dr. D’Souza’s research is focused on improving health outcomes for pregnant women and people with medical disorders and incorporating patient values and preferences into obstetric decision-making. Dr. D’Souza is co-principal investigator on a Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) funded project looking at the feasibility of establishing a Canadian Obstetric Survey System (CanOSS) for reporting, reviewing and reducing severe health complications in pregnancy.

BIO

Dr. Bryon De France is an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at McMaster University and a member of the active staff in the clinical department of obstetrics and gynecology at Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation in Hamilton Ontario. He is also an associate member of the Department of Diagnostic Imaging at McMaster University.  Dr. De France is one of the two lead maternal fetal medicine physicians leading the McMaster Diabetes in pregnancy program at McMaster University.

He received his MD at McMaster University and continued there to complete his residency in obstetrics and gynecology. He was the first fellow in the maternal fetal medicine program at McMaster. Prior to his medical education, he completed BSc and MSc degrees in the field of toxicology at the University of Guelph. Dr. De France joined the division of maternal fetal medicine at McMaster in 2001, and has been an active full-time member since that time. He has pursued additional training in clinical epidemiology while on staff at McMaster University and is currently involved in clinical, educational and research activities.

CLINICAL INTERESTS

• Maternal and fetal medicine
• Prenatal diagnosis
• Fetal ultrasound

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Research Themes

Fetal growth; Fetal body composition; Diabetes in pregnancy; Clinical trials

Clinical Trials:

Folic Acid Clinical Trial (FACT) – Local Qualified Investigator
International, Multi-Centered, RCT
The hypothesis of the study is: high dose (4.0 mg per day) supplementation for pregnant women at high risk of developing preeclampsia starting in early pregnancy and continued throughout the entire pregnancy will lower the incidence of preeclampsia.

The trial completed recruitment in November 2015 and the local contribution to recruitment of 161 participants to the final goal of 2464 was 2nd of 72 centers worldwide.

Ongoing Collaborative Work

Dr. Christoph Fusch
Dual closed-loop ex-vivo placenta perfusion

Dr. Christoph Fusch, Dr. Nina Stein, Dr. Mike Noseworthy
Fetal Body Composition

PUBLICATIONS

Malinowski, A. K., De France, B., Sun, D., Carvalho, J. C. A., & Shehata, N. (2017). Obstetric neuraxial anaesthesia in the context of maternal immune thrombocytopenia: secondary analysis of a retrospective cohort study. BJA: British Journal of Anaesthesia, 119(5), 1067-1068.?

Murray-Davis, B., McDonald, H., Cross-Sudworth, F., Dore, S., Marrin, M., DeSantis, J., Sabatino, L., DeFrance, B., Leyland, N., Gardosi, J. and Hutton, E., 2016. Implementation of an interprofessional team review of adverse events in obstetrics using a standardized computer tool: A mixed methods study. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 38(2), pp.168-176.

Sun, D., Shehata, N., Xiang, Y.Y., Gregorovich, S., De France, B., Arnold, D.M., Shah, P.S. and Malinowski, A.K., 2016. Corticosteroids compared to intravenous immune globulin for the treatment of immune thrombocytopenia in pregnancy. Blood, pp.blood-2016.

Vasanthan, T., Rochow, N., Mian, F., Codini, T., DeFrance, B., Fusch, G., Samiee-Zafarghandy, S. and Fusch, C., 2014. LPS from bovine serum albumin drives TNF-? release during ex-vivo placenta perfusion experiments, contaminates the perfusion system but can be effectively removed by oxidative cleaning. Placenta, 35(12), pp.1095-1098.

Vasanthan, T., Rochow, N., Mian, M.F., DeFrance, B., Fusch, G. and Fusch, C., 2014. Dual closed-loop ex-vivo placental perfusion model: Evidence for relevant LPS contamination and development of a procedure for depyrogenation. Placenta, 35(9), p.A23.

Morais M., Deniz S., Ellis S., DeFrance B., 2011.  Characteristics That Influence the Uptake of Prenatal screening of women delivering in a Canadian urban centre. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 33(6) Supplement 1:S37-38.

De France BF. The ALARM and MORE OB Programs – Letter to the Editor. J Obstet Gynaecol Can 2007;29(3):215-217.

DeFrance, B, Brennan, B. “Single Versus Multiple Courses of Antenatal Corticosteroids”. Evidence Based Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vol. 3 (2) Pg. 109-110, June 2001.

RECENT RESIDENT RESEARCH

2015
Sandra Gregorovich
“Corticosteroids Compared to Intravenous Immune Globulin for the Treatment of Immune Thrombocytopenia in Pregnancy”

2014
Esther Chin
“Necrotizing Fasciitis in Obstetrics and Gynecology – a systematic review”

Elissa Tepperman – R.T. Weaver Best Research Recipient
Redefining Hadlock Curves for the Diabetic Population

Karen MacMillan
Relative fetal acidemia in pregestational diabetics compared to non-diabetic controls.

2013
Meredith Giffin – R.T. Weaver Best Research Recipient
“Estimating Fetal Birth Weight in Pregestational Diabetics Using the Gestation-Adjusted Projection Method: Accuracy and Optimal Timing of Estimation

2012
Kersti Ranken – R.T. Weaver Best Research Recipient
Estimation of Fetal Weight in Pregestational Diabetics: A Comparison of 15 Formulas

BIO

Dr. Bryon De France is an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at McMaster University and a member of the active staff in the clinical department of obstetrics and gynecology at Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation in Hamilton Ontario. He is also an associate member of the Department of Diagnostic Imaging at McMaster University.  Dr. De France is one of the two lead maternal fetal medicine physicians leading the McMaster Diabetes in pregnancy program at McMaster University.

He received his MD at McMaster University and continued there to complete his residency in obstetrics and gynecology. He was the first fellow in the maternal fetal medicine program at McMaster. Prior to his medical education, he completed BSc and MSc degrees in the field of toxicology at the University of Guelph. Dr. De France joined the division of maternal fetal medicine at McMaster in 2001, and has been an active full-time member since that time. He has pursued additional training in clinical epidemiology while on staff at McMaster University and is currently involved in clinical, educational and research activities.

CLINICAL INTERESTS

• Maternal and fetal medicine
• Prenatal diagnosis
• Fetal ultrasound

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Research Themes

Fetal growth; Fetal body composition; Diabetes in pregnancy; Clinical trials

Clinical Trials:

Folic Acid Clinical Trial (FACT) – Local Qualified Investigator
International, Multi-Centered, RCT
The hypothesis of the study is: high dose (4.0 mg per day) supplementation for pregnant women at high risk of developing preeclampsia starting in early pregnancy and continued throughout the entire pregnancy will lower the incidence of preeclampsia.

The trial completed recruitment in November 2015 and the local contribution to recruitment of 161 participants to the final goal of 2464 was 2nd of 72 centers worldwide.

Ongoing Collaborative Work

Dr. Christoph Fusch
Dual closed-loop ex-vivo placenta perfusion

Dr. Christoph Fusch, Dr. Nina Stein, Dr. Mike Noseworthy
Fetal Body Composition

PUBLICATIONS

Malinowski, A. K., De France, B., Sun, D., Carvalho, J. C. A., & Shehata, N. (2017). Obstetric neuraxial anaesthesia in the context of maternal immune thrombocytopenia: secondary analysis of a retrospective cohort study. BJA: British Journal of Anaesthesia, 119(5), 1067-1068.?

Murray-Davis, B., McDonald, H., Cross-Sudworth, F., Dore, S., Marrin, M., DeSantis, J., Sabatino, L., DeFrance, B., Leyland, N., Gardosi, J. and Hutton, E., 2016. Implementation of an interprofessional team review of adverse events in obstetrics using a standardized computer tool: A mixed methods study. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 38(2), pp.168-176.

Sun, D., Shehata, N., Xiang, Y.Y., Gregorovich, S., De France, B., Arnold, D.M., Shah, P.S. and Malinowski, A.K., 2016. Corticosteroids compared to intravenous immune globulin for the treatment of immune thrombocytopenia in pregnancy. Blood, pp.blood-2016.

Vasanthan, T., Rochow, N., Mian, F., Codini, T., DeFrance, B., Fusch, G., Samiee-Zafarghandy, S. and Fusch, C., 2014. LPS from bovine serum albumin drives TNF-? release during ex-vivo placenta perfusion experiments, contaminates the perfusion system but can be effectively removed by oxidative cleaning. Placenta, 35(12), pp.1095-1098.

Vasanthan, T., Rochow, N., Mian, M.F., DeFrance, B., Fusch, G. and Fusch, C., 2014. Dual closed-loop ex-vivo placental perfusion model: Evidence for relevant LPS contamination and development of a procedure for depyrogenation. Placenta, 35(9), p.A23.

Morais M., Deniz S., Ellis S., DeFrance B., 2011.  Characteristics That Influence the Uptake of Prenatal screening of women delivering in a Canadian urban centre. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 33(6) Supplement 1:S37-38.

De France BF. The ALARM and MORE OB Programs – Letter to the Editor. J Obstet Gynaecol Can 2007;29(3):215-217.

DeFrance, B, Brennan, B. “Single Versus Multiple Courses of Antenatal Corticosteroids”. Evidence Based Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vol. 3 (2) Pg. 109-110, June 2001.

RECENT RESIDENT RESEARCH

2015
Sandra Gregorovich
“Corticosteroids Compared to Intravenous Immune Globulin for the Treatment of Immune Thrombocytopenia in Pregnancy”

2014
Esther Chin
“Necrotizing Fasciitis in Obstetrics and Gynecology – a systematic review”

Elissa Tepperman – R.T. Weaver Best Research Recipient
Redefining Hadlock Curves for the Diabetic Population

Karen MacMillan
Relative fetal acidemia in pregestational diabetics compared to non-diabetic controls.

2013
Meredith Giffin – R.T. Weaver Best Research Recipient
“Estimating Fetal Birth Weight in Pregestational Diabetics Using the Gestation-Adjusted Projection Method: Accuracy and Optimal Timing of Estimation

2012
Kersti Ranken – R.T. Weaver Best Research Recipient
Estimation of Fetal Weight in Pregestational Diabetics: A Comparison of 15 Formulas