Peter von Dadelszen FRCOG, is the Professor of Global Women’s Health at King’s College London and RCOG International Council Representative for America, Australasia and the Pacific Rim. Read about Professor Peter von Dadelszen’s, experience of winning the Sims Black Travelling Professorship in 2023.
In July 2023 I was honoured to receive the Sims Black Travelling Professorship following a successful nomination by colleagues in the RCOG Malaysia International Representative Committee (IRC). As part of my visit I hoped to share some of the latest evidence around pre-eclampsia management and contribute to ongoing efforts to reduce mortality. Pre-eclampsia is unfortunately a common complication in Malaysia and accounted for 6% of maternal deaths in 2020.
I arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Monday 16 October 2023, kicking off a packed two-week programme with a tour of the maternity services at Hospital Canselor Tunku Muhriz (HCTM). After meeting members of the academic and clinical teams, I delivered my first presentation of the trip: a summary of the pathways to preventing pre-eclampsia through exercise, calcium and aspirin. We then had a lively discussion of cases presented by some of our MRCOG Part 2 candidates and closed with a presentation covering current research in hypertension in pregnancy. At this stage in the itinerary, our conversations had already brought about a new collaboration relating to machine learning-based updates of the Pre-eclampsia Integrated Estimate of Risk model (PIERS).
The following day, I travelled to Kuala Terengganu, where I gave talks at two hospitals - Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah (HSNZ) and Hospital University Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) - on the prevention of pre-eclampsia by timed birth at term, participated in further discussions of trainee case presentations and even helped to conduct some hands-on obstetric drills. I also had the pleasure of recounting the origins of my academic interest in pre-eclampsia and hypertension to around thirty members of the HSNZ O&G department. Kuala Terengganu is famous for its rich culture and history and I was delighted to find time to visit the stunning Terengganu State Museum and sample keropok lekor, a traditional Malay dish. After two nights in this incredible city, I was sorry to be leaving, but also excited about the next leg of my trip, which would take me across the sea to East Malaysia.
I touched down in Kuching where I was hosted by two Members of the College. Drs Abigail Rembui Jerip and Jeremy Joseph were exceptionally generous hosts and gave me a fascinating tour of the city. We visited the Semenggoh Wildlife Sanctuary, Damai Cultural Village and ate Sarawakian food at a traditional building called a bidayuh baruk, or longhouse. As the weekend drew to a close, I prepared myself for my final stop at Sarawak General Hospital where I would undertake rounds on a labour ward, maternal-foetal medicine unit and high dependency unit for peripartum cardiomyopathy and pulmonary oedema. I gave a presentation on the prevention of pre-eclampsia mortality, covering pathways to disease, classification, epidemiology, prediction, management and long-term follow-up, all with a particular focus on improving maternal and perinatal survival. I then followed this with a presentation on timing of delivery in pregnancy hypertension to members of The Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Malaysia (OGSM) and took part in a discussion on pre-eclampsia that was so enthusiastic and wide-ranging it delayed dinner.
My trip to Malaysia was one of the highlights of my career to date. I was honoured to benefit from such generous hospitality as colleagues gave up their valuable time to host me and foster crucial discussions around maternal survival and pregnancy hypertension. The insightful quality of the questions I received reflected a substantial knowledge base and desire to apply that knowledge in local settings. I returned to the UK feeling very fortunate to have visited such a wonderful country, and I look forward to working closely with our Malaysian colleagues in the future. I cannot thank the Malaysia IRC and College enough for this opportunity.
- To find out more about the Sims Black Travelling Professorship award click here.