Dr. Richard J. Derman is an obstetrician/gynecologist who has devoted his career to serving underserved populations through the provision of clinical care and maternal child health research. Since his days in the Peace Corps in India, he has been the chair of obstetrics and gynecology at three academic institutions and served as an associate dean for women’s health. Presently he is associate provost for Global Affairs, director of Global Health Research, and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Thomas Jefferson University.
Dr. Derman has been the principal investigator for a collaboration with Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in Belagavi, Karnataka, India, since 2001. During this time, he has led the globally recognized research team in the initiation of multiple trials funded through a Global Network award and supported the site research unit as it implemented other studies in collaboration with major donor organizations. The work of the research collaboration has led to the publication of more than 150 peer–reviewed articles. Dr. Derman’s seminal research showing that misoprostol could significantly reduce postpartum hemorrhage, the leading cause of maternal death by about 50 percent and severe postpartum hemorrhage by 80 percent provided the impetus for the drug being included on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines and recognized by the UN Commission on Life–Saving Commodities.
Dr. Derman’s most recent areas of research interest include prevention of pre–term birth, postpartum sepsis and the role of anemia and BMI on pregnancy and infant outcomes.