News & Events
Achieving Safer Motherhood with Solar Powered Light and Communication
| Themes | Technology for Emerging Economies |
|---|---|
| Emphases | Services Science and Technology |
| Campuses | UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Merced, UC Santa Cruz |
- September 23, 2009: 11:00am - 12:00pm
- Location: Banatao Auditorium, 3rd floor, Sutardja Dai Hall, UC Berkeley
Laura Stachel [Bixby Center for Population, Health and Sustainability; Founder, WE CARE Solar]
The complete series can be found at http://www.citris-uc.org/events/RE-fall2009. Sponsored by Infineon Technologies.
Abstract:
WE CARE Solar promotes safe motherhood in
developing regions by providing health workers with reliable lighting, blood
bank refrigeration and mobile communication using solar electricity. In this talk, Dr. Laura Stachel discusses
some of the challenges of reducing maternal mortality, which accounts for more
than 530,000 deaths a year, primarily in Africa and Asia. Her dissertation research on emergency
obstetric care in Northern Nigeria (supported by the Bixby Center for
Population, Health and Sustainability) highlights the negative impact that
inadequate electricity can have on the delivery of maternal health care. Her observations sparked an initiative to
use solar-powered electricity to enhance maternity care by powering hospital lighting,
mobile communication, and emergency medical equipment. Dr. Stachel will
describe her experience in bringing solar electricity to one hospital and her ongoing
efforts to supply smaller clinics and hospitals with lighting and communication
using suitcase-sized portable solar electric systems. For more information, see www.wecaresolar.com.
Biography:
Laura Stachel M.D., M.P.H., the founder of WE CARE Solar, as is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist with fourteen years of clinical experience, holding an MD from University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and an MPH in Maternal and Child Health from University of California, Berkeley (UCB). She is currently pursuing her doctorate in public health at UCB. Her dissertation is focused on reducing maternal mortality in developing countries. In addition to her work assessing the adequacy of emergency obstetric care in Nigeria, Laura has conducted several community based projects in developing countries including (1) a nutritional assessment of pregnant and postpartum mothers in the Western Guatemalan highlands, and (2) an assessment of the effects of fluoride varnish and dental hygiene on the incidence of dental caries in El Salvadorean children. Laura serves on the Editorial Board for the Berkeley Wellness Letter and teaches at the UCB School of Public Health.
