27 Feb 2006: Research honours for RCSI Head -
24/08/2006
A leading Irish doctor has beaten thousands of other candidates to win two prestigious international awards for his research into how improvements to current screening practice could more easily identify foetal abnormalities.
Prof Fergal Malone, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the RCSI, was awarded with the Best Presentation and Dru Carlson Memorial prizes at the annual conference of the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine in Florida, an organization widely acknowledged to be the most important worldwide obstetrics group.
International best practice would suggest that expectant mothers should be offered an ultrasound scan and blood test in either week 11 or week 16 of pregnancy. However, Prof Malone’s team found that by offering mothers both tests and combining them using a simple computer programme, the possibility of identifying conditions such as Down’s syndrome could be significantly improved.
The judges at the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine agreed and awarded Prof Malone the prizes. “I am delighted to receive these honours, especially as they come from my peers. But much more important to me is the added benefits to Irish patients that this research will bring,” said Prof Malone.
“It is tremendously valuable to be able to reassure so many patients so early in pregnancy regarding their babys’ health.”
http://www.medicineweekly.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3317&Itemid=53
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