Pierre Buekens, M.D.
W.H. Watkins Professor and Dean & Director of the Office of Global Health, Director of the Center for Emerging Reproductive Epidemiology
Areas of Expertise
Biography
Dean Pierre Buekens' research focuses on reproductive epidemiology, including neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and pregnancy, and he is the director of the Tulane Center for Emerging Reproductive and Perinatal Epidemiology (CERPE). His current research spans Chagas disease in Argentina, Honduras, and Mexico, syphilis in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, and Zika virus in Honduras. He has worked extensively in Latin America and together with other researchers, he co-founded Trop-G, a collaboration working to control and eliminate NTDs in high-risk areas around the Gulf of Mexico.
Education
Free University of Brussels
Free University of Brussels
Free University of Brussels
Free University of Brussels
Articles
Measurement error, microcephaly prevalence and implications for Zika: an analysis of Uruguay perinatal data
2019
Background and objective: The Zika virus outbreak has drawn attention to microcephaly, whose definition is based on head circumference measuring below a percentile or number of SDs below the mean. The objective of this analysis was to assess how differences in measurement precision might affect prevalence and trends of microcephaly.
Methods: Data from all births in Uruguay during 2010-2015 were obtained from the Perinatal Information System. The prevalence of births with microcephaly was calculated based on head circumference measurement at birth applying the INTERGROWTH-21st standards for sex and gestational age, and compared by method of ascertaining gestational age.
Results: Rounding and digit preference was observed: 74% of head circumference measurements were reported as a whole centimetre value. The prevalence of births varied substantially by the criterion used to define microcephaly (
Improving the quality of maternal and newborn health outcomes through a clinical mentorship program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: study protocol
2019
Background: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) boasts one of the highest rates of institutional deliveries in sub-Saharan Africa (80%), with eight out of every ten births also assisted by a skilled provider. However, the maternal and neonatal mortality are still among the highest in the world, which demonstrates the poor in-facility quality of maternal and newborn care. The objective of this ongoing project is to design, implement, and evaluate a clinical mentorship program in 72 health facilities in two rural provinces of Kwango and Kwilu, DRC.
Methods: This is an ongoing quasi-experimental study. In the 72 facilities, 48 facilities were assigned to the group where the clinical mentorship program is being implemented (intervention group), and 24 facilities were assigned to the group where the clinical mentorship program is not being implemented (control group). The groups were selected and assigned based on administrative criteria, taking into account the number of deliveries in each facility, the coverage of health zones, accessibility, and ease of implementation of a clinical mentorship program. The main activities are organizing and training a national team of mentors (including senior midwives, obstetricians, and pediatricians) in clinical mentoring, deploying them to mentor all health providers (mentees) performing maternal and newborn health (MNH) services, and providing in-service training in routine and Emergency Obstetrical and Newborn Care (EmONC) to the mentees in health facilities over an 18-month period. Baseline and endline assessments are carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the clinical mentorship program on the quality of MNH care and the effective coverage of key interventions to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality. Findings will be disseminated nationwide and internationally, as scientific evidence is scarce. A national strategy, guidelines, and tools for clinical mentorship in MNH will be developed for replication in other provinces, thus benefitting the entire country.
Discussion: This is the largest project on clinical mentorship aimed to improving the quality of MNH care in Africa. This program is expected to generate one of the first pieces of scientific evidence on the effectiveness of a clinical mentorship program in MNH on a scientifically designed and sustainable model.
The “Cocoon,” first alongside midwifery‐led unit within a Belgian hospital: Comparison of the maternal and neonatal outcomes with the standard obstetric unit over 2 years
2019
Objectives: Our aim was to compare maternal and neonatal outcomes of women with a low-risk pregnancy attending the "Cocoon," an alongside midwifery-led birth center and care pathway, with women with a low-risk pregnancy attending the traditional care pathway in a tertiary care hospital in Belgium.
Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of maternal and neonatal outcomes of women with a low-risk pregnancy who chose to adhere to the Cocoon pathway of care (n = 590) and women with a low-risk pregnancy who chose the traditional pathway of care (n = 394) from March 1, 2014, to February 29, 2016. We performed all analyses using an intention-to-treat approach.
Results: In this setting, the cesarean birth rate was 10.3% compared with 16.0% in the traditional care pathway (adjusted odds ratios [aOR] 0.42 [95% CI 0.25-0.69]), the induction rate was 16.3% compared with 30.5% (0.46 [0.30-0.69]), the epidural analgesia rate was 24.9% compared with 59.1% (0.15 [0.09-0.22]), and the episiotomy rate was 6.8% compared with 14.5% (0.31 [0.17-0.56]). There was no increase in adverse neonatal outcomes. Intrapartum and postpartum transfer rates to the traditional pathway of care were 21.1% and 7.1%, respectively. Conclusions: Women planning their births in the midwifery-led unit, the Cocoon, experienced fewer interventions with no increase in adverse neonatal outcomes. Our study gives initial support for the introduction of similar midwifery-led care pathways in other hospitals in Belgium.
Media Appearances
17 universities oppose anti-smoking group with tobacco ties
“There is a fundamental contradiction in what they are doing,” said Dr. Pierre Buekens, dean of Tulane’s public health school. “Until we know more, we are not prepared to accept funding from the foundation.”
Hurricane Harvey survivors will face health risks even after emergency is over
Katrina left a wake of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, said Dr. Pierre Buekens, dean of Tulane University's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. He said surveys showed roughly 10 per cent had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but also showed that people were resilient.
