For the past 32 years, I have had the privilege of being associated with one of the finest medical and research institutions in the country. For 29 of those years, I have also been on the front lines, delivering babies and caring for mothers. Witnessing the repercussions of serious pregnancy complications on mothers and babies has been among the most challenging and emotionally wrenching aspects of my career, and I have dedicated my clinical and research practice at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) to finding a way to prevent these tragedies.
One of the most frequent and deadly complications of pregnancy is preeclampsia, affecting about 5-7% of pregnant women and killing 70,000 of them worldwide each year, a disproportionate number of them Black. In addition, this complication is responsible for 500,000 fetal deaths worldwide each year.
At EVMS, our research teams are conducting groundbreaking research under a series of grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and in collaboration with the University of Maryland. The research holds promise for significantly reducing the toll preeclampsia takes among women and their children. This research requires the use of animals, for which there is no adequate substitute.
Through years of research, we have learned that abnormal changes in placental development in the first weeks of pregnancy result in the development of preeclampsia towards the end of pregnancy. The process of the development of the placenta and the fetus from early pregnancy is almost identical in humans and baboons, thus making this model highly suitable for the research we are conducting to learn more about how the placenta and the disease develop during pregnancy.
This vital research has recently come under unfair attack from activists who have mischaracterized our research and have misstated facts about how we care for our animals.
At EVMS, our animals are treated with the utmost reverence and care. An on-site veterinarian, along with care staff, provide comprehensive care for the baboons and daily enrichment activities to enhance their well-being and allow them to engage in species-typical behaviors.
NIH funding itself is conditioned on an ethical study design, and our work is continually monitored by EVMS committees, reviewed by external national expert-consultants and regularly inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. EVMS’ animal facility has been continually accredited and approved by the American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, a voluntary accreditation, for more than 20 years.
The NIH-approved research design requires that some of the pregnant baboons give birth via c-section. Over the past 10 years, the average number of c-sections performed on our baboons was 2.7, with a median of 2, over an average stay at EVMS of close to 10 years. We follow federal guidelines for the performance of major surgeries on animals, including c-sections. Any major procedure requires written justification by the research team and committee approval.
EVMS has also been unfairly accused of denying our animals the opportunity to live in a “sanctuary” after their involvement in research concludes. Unfortunately, critical data from this research can only be obtained after the animal is humanely euthanized.
My colleagues and I hope that the time will come when enough is learned so that the vital research being conducted is no longer necessary, so that the millions of families who are affected by preeclampsia can be spared the hardship and heartache that often accompany it. Until that time arrives, we are committed to participating in this crucial research, part of a larger effort to close the “women’s health gap,” a worldwide disparity that results in part from under-investment in research on diseases that affect women or affect women differently from men.
We at EVMS understand and share the love for animals that animates our critics. But our first-hand experience in treating the women and babies suffering from preeclampsia compels us to make their health the top priority. For us, there is no choice: This vital research must continue.
Alfred Abuhamad, M.D., is president, provost and dean of the EVMS School of Medicine. He is a physician-scientist-educator who is recognized internationally for his expertise and leadership in maternal-fetal medicine, ultrasound, prenatal diagnosis, global outreach and patient safety. Dr. Abuhamad came to EVMS in 1992 and is the Mason C. Andrews Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Radiology.
