New honorary professor conducts research into premature births

Premature births affect 15 million pregnancies annually worldwide. A birth is referred to as premature when the child is born before the end of the thirty-seventh week of pregnancy. Premature births can have serious consequences for the newborn child. Ramkumar Menon conducts research into the different risk factors that are found in connection with premature births and how they can affect the child. In his research he identifies women who risk giving birth prematurely and methods to reduce this risk. He has now been appointed honorary professor at Aarhus University.

"I feel humbled and excited about my new affiliation with Aarhus University. I took my PhD degree at the university. I will bring my expertise to Aarhus University and my plan is to teach and provide training in research into understanding the risk of premature birth," says Ramkumar Menon.

Unclear what triggers premature births

Ramkumar Menon’s goal with his research is to help pregnant women, their foetuses and the children who are born prematurely and who suffer from long-term consequences of this. It is still unclear which factors trigger premature births.

"We are trying to screen pregnant women for specific biomarkers which may indicate a risk of giving birth prematurely. This knowledge makes it possible for doctors to take certain measures to prevent a premature birth. This can also help the development of new drugs, which may prevent premature births," explains Ramkumar Menon.

Ramkumar Menon is from India. In 2007 he received a PhD degree in perinatal biology from Aarhus University and he is currently a researcher at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.

Further information

PhD Ramkumar Menon
University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.
ram.menon@utmb.edu