Tackling The Global Problem Of Anaemia Wins Blood Doctor A Victoria Fellowship

Main Category: Blood / Hematology
Also Included In: Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Article Date: 16 Sep 2010 - 7:00 PDT


Iron deficiency is a major global health problem affecting over one billion people and increasing the risk of death for pregnant women.

Dr Sant-Rayn Pasricha has just conducted a major field study of anaemia in children in rural India and his findings have recently been published.

He is now working on a trial of iron supplements for pregnant women in Vietnam in collaboration with the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Women's Hospital.

He has also been working with the Australian Red Cross Blood Service to find out better ways to prevent anaemia in blood donors.

Dr Pasricha is one of six young Victorian scientists to win a prestigious Victoria Fellowship. He received the Fellowship on Monday 13 September 2010 at a gala function at Government House from the Governor of Victoria, Professor David de Kretser, AC.

The Victoria Fellowships, each worth $18,000, were first awarded by the Victorian Government in 1998, to recognise young researchers with leadership potential and to enhance their future careers, while developing new ideas which could offer commercial benefit to Victoria.

The Victoria Fellowship will enable him to travel to Geneva, to the World Health Organisation and learn and participate in the process of translating research into health policy.

The Clifton Hill resident will specifically work with epidemiologists and statisticians to analyse data from his research in a bid to influence global policy for anaemia control among pregnant women, children and blood donors throughout the world.

His research in India showed that anaemia was chiefly due to iron deficiency, a mothers' nutrition, access to healthy food and overall socioeconomic status.

Effects of anaemia make people feel weak, tired, listless and fatigued. In children, it may impair intellectual development, and reduce school performance in older children. In pregnant women, it may increase the risk of death during childbirth due to bleeding, and it may increase the risk of a premature delivery and for children to be unusually small.

Dr Pasricha is a member of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and Royal Australasian College of Pathologists. He is currently completing his PhD in public health at the University of Melbourne's Nossal Institute of Global Health. He is also training as a specialist haematologist at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Source:
MediaWise Pty Ltd

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