This course marks a significant milestone as it will be the 10th in this series of Maternal Medicine courses. The first was in 2004 and organized by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. We recognized that medical disorders was increasingly important in Obstetrics, and that obstetricians needed better awareness and training in the Maternal aspects of Maternal Fetal Medicine, even if they were becoming increasingly familiar with the concept of multi-disciplinary care. Professor Michael de Swiet, one of the founding fathers of Obstetric Medicine, graced our first course in 2004, and we received very positive feedback. Maternal morbidity and mortality arising from medical conditions, namely thromboembolism and latterly cardiac conditions, were recurrent themes emerging from international reports and remains very much the case today. The Department of O&G in SGH formed the Centre for High Risk Pregnancy (CHiRP) , in which joint maternal medicine clinics in endocrinology, cardiology, haematology, rheumatology, kidney disease play a major role. Over at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, the STORK (one Stop Obstetric high Risk ) Centre was also established with a similar vision, and indeed both centres work very closely in the management of the more difficult and critically ill maternal medicine cases.

So it is only fitting that this 10th Maternal Medicine Course reflects the contributions of both Singhealth centres. Over the years, our invited faculty has expanded to include renowned obstetric physicians and maternal fetal specialists from around the world, including collaborating with the International Society of Obstetric Medicine (ISOM). The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has put paid to conducting the usual face to face conference, and we conducted a successful virtual course in 2021. For the 10th course we will again be having it on a virtual platform, and we hope that this , together with the complimentary registration, will encourage more participation from countries in the region and beyond. COVID in pregnancy is associated with increased maternal morbidity risks, particularly in the unvaccinated , and this course will share some of the local experience in the management of the seriously ill women.

 As the programme spans 2 days, and cognizant of the challenges of maintaining attention spans on virtual platforms, we have planned a scientific programme focusing on what is most relevant and important rather than striving to be comprehensive, with more time for interactive discussions on real cases which we have found challenging both from diagnostic and management angles.

I hope that you will find the course engaging and helpful, and I look forward to seeing you at the course.

The programme consists of 4 modular sessions. There will be 2 modules per day; one in the morning, one in the late afternoon. Each module is 2.5 hours.

Thursday & Friday, 21 & 22 July 2022

Timing of each of the sessions will be made available at a later date