Alexander Manu
Biographic Data
| ID | 6436296 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Alexander Manu |
| GIVEN NAMES | Alexander |
| FAMILY NAME | Manu |
| SIGNATURE | MANU A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Ghana |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5230-6413 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 17 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Impact of travel time to health facilities on perinatal outcomes
Background: Evidence-based global guidance on safe travel time for small or sick newborns who require transfer to health facilities after birth is lacking. A two-hour threshold is frequently cited in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), while 30 minutes is commonly used in high-income countries (HICs). Although these thresholds are widely referenced, their empirical basis and consistency across levels of newborn care and journey types have n…
Implementing maternal and newborn health quality of care standards in healthcare facilities to improve the adoption of respectful maternity care in Bangladesh, Ghana and Tanzania
INTRODUCTION: Many women worldwide cannot access respectful maternity care (RMC). We assessed the effect of implementing maternal and newborn health (MNH) quality of care standards on RMC measures. METHODS: We used a facility-based controlled before and after design in 43 healthcare facilities in Bangladesh, Ghana and Tanzania. Interviews with women and health workers and observations of labour and childbirth were used for data collection. We est…
The Philosophy of Disruption
Alexander Manu is a Strategic Innovation Practitioner, International Lecturer, and the author of numerous books. A Professor at OCAD University in Toronto, Canada, and visiting Lecturer at the Wallace McCain Institute, Canada. Manu is also a Senior Partner at Equilibrant, a boutique consultancy that provides strategic counsel and future-based advisory to executive teams in Fortune 500 companies.
Institutionalising maternal and newborn quality-of-care standards in Bangladesh, Ghana and Tanzania
INTRODUCTION: Facility interventions to improve quality of care around childbirth are known but need to be packaged, tested and institutionalised within health systems to impact on maternal and newborn outcomes. METHODS: We conducted cross-sectional assessments at baseline (2016) and after 18 months of provider-led implementation of UNICEF/WHO's Every Mother Every Newborn Quality Improvement (EMEN-QI) standards (preceding the WHO Standards for im…
Philosophy of Disruption
Understanding Disruption
Prevalence and risk factors of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 infection in women and children in peri-urban communities in Pakistan
Background: Population-based seroepidemiological surveys provide accurate estimates of disease burden. We compare the COVID-19 prevalence estimates from two serial serological surveys and the associated risk factors among women and children in a peri-urban area of Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: The AMANHI-COVID-19 study enrolled women and children between November 2020 and March 2021. Blood samples were collected from March to June 2021 (baseline) a…
Sero-prevalence and risk factors for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 infection in women and children in a rural district of Bangladesh
Background: Bangladesh reported its first COVID-19 case on March 8, 2020. Despite lockdowns and promoting behavioural interventions, as of December 31, 2021, Bangladesh reported 1.5 million confirmed cases and 27 904 COVID-19-related deaths. To understand the course of the pandemic and identify risk factors for SARs-Cov-2 infection, we conducted a cohort study from November 2020 to December 2021 in rural Bangladesh. Methods: After obtaining infor…
Machine learning prediction of gestational age from metabolic screening markers resistant to ambient temperature transportation
Background: Knowledge of gestational age is critical for guiding preterm neonatal care. In the last decade, metabolic gestational dating approaches emerged in response to a global health need; because in most of the developing world, accurate antenatal gestational age estimates are not feasible. These methods initially developed in North America have now been externally validated in two studies in developing countries, however, require shipment o…
Using Amanhi-ACT cohorts for external validation of Iowa new-born metabolic profiles based models for postnatal gestational age estimation
BACKGROUND: Globally, 15 million infants are born preterm and another 23.2 million infants are born small for gestational age (SGA). Determining burden of preterm and SGA births, is essential for effective planning, modification of health policies and targeting interventions for reducing these outcomes for which accurate estimation of gestational age (GA) is crucial. Early pregnancy ultrasound measurements, last menstrual period and post-natal ne…
“Every Newborn-INDEPTH” (EN-INDEPTH) study protocol for a randomised comparison of household survey modules for measuring stillbirths and neonatal deaths in five Health and Demographic Surveillance si…
BACKGROUND: may underestimate mortality rates particularly for stillbirths. METHODS: and FPH to measure pregnancy outcomes in a household survey in five selected INDEPTH Network sites in Africa and South Asia (Bandim in urban and rural Guinea-Bissau; Dabat in Ethiopia; IgangaMayuge in Uganda; Kintampo in Ghana; Matlab in Bangladesh). The survey will reach >68 000 pregnancies to assess if there is ≥15% difference in stillbirth rates. Additional qu…
Association between availability of children’s book and the literacy-numeracy skills of children aged 36 to 59 months
BACKGROUND: Stimulating home environments that have children's books, pictures and play toys facilitate caregiver-child interactions and enhance children's development. Although this has been demonstrated in small-scale intervention studies, it is important to document whether book ownership is beneficial at large scale in low and middle-income settings. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis using data from the multiple-indicator cluster sur…
Countdown to 2030
Understanding biological mechanisms underlying adverse birth outcomes in developing countries
OBJECTIVES: The AMANHI study aims to seek for biomarkers as predictors of important pregnancy-related outcomes, and establish a biobank in developing countries for future research as new methods and technologies become available. METHODS: AMANHI is using harmonised protocols to enrol 3000 women in early pregnancies (8-19 weeks of gestation) for population-based follow-up in pregnancy up to 42 days postpartum in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Tanzania, …
Development and validation of a simplified algorithm for neonatal gestational age assessment – protocol for the Alliance for Maternal Newborn Health Improvement (Amanhi) prospective cohort study
OBJECTIVE: The objective of the Alliance for Maternal and Newborn Health Improvement (AMANHI) gestational age study is to develop and validate a programmatically feasible and simple approach to accurately assess gestational age of babies after they are born. The study will provide accurate, population-based rates of preterm birth in different settings and quantify the risks of neonatal mortality and morbidity by gestational age and birth weight i…
Patterns of cultural consensus and intracultural diversity in Ghanaian complementary feeding practices
Designing effective interventions to improve infant and young child (IYC) feeding requires knowledge about determinants of current practices, including cultural factors. Current approaches to obtaining and using research on culture tend to assume cultural homogeneity within a population. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of cultural consensus (homogeneity) in communities where interventions to improve IYC feeding practices are n…
Evaluating the implementation of community volunteer assessment and referral of sick babies
A World Health Organization (WHO)/United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (2009) joint statement recommended home visits by community-based agents as a strategy to improve newborn survival, based on promising results from Asia. This article presents detailed evaluation of community volunteer assessment and referral implemented within the Ghana Newhints home visits cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). It highlights the lessons learned to inf…
Evaluating the implementation of community volunteer assessment and referral of sick babies
A World Health Organization (WHO)/United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (2009) joint statement recommended home visits by community-based agents as a strategy to improve newborn survival, based on promising results from Asia. This article presents detailed evaluation of community volunteer assessment and referral implemented within the Ghana Newhints home visits cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). It highlights the lessons learned to inf…
Evaluating the implementation of community volunteer assessment and referral of sick babies
A World Health Organization (WHO)/United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (2009) joint statement recommended home visits by community-based agents as a strategy to improve newborn survival, based on promising results from Asia. This article presents detailed evaluation of community volunteer assessment and referral implemented within the Ghana Newhints home visits cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). It highlights the lessons learned to inf…
Understanding biological mechanisms underlying adverse birth outcomes in developing countries
OBJECTIVES: The AMANHI study aims to seek for biomarkers as predictors of important pregnancy-related outcomes, and establish a biobank in developing countries for future research as new methods and technologies become available. METHODS: AMANHI is using harmonised protocols to enrol 3000 women in early pregnancies (8-19 weeks of gestation) for population-based follow-up in pregnancy up to 42 days postpartum in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Tanzania, …
Development and validation of a simplified algorithm for neonatal gestational age assessment – protocol for the Alliance for Maternal Newborn Health Improvement (Amanhi) prospective cohort study
OBJECTIVE: The objective of the Alliance for Maternal and Newborn Health Improvement (AMANHI) gestational age study is to develop and validate a programmatically feasible and simple approach to accurately assess gestational age of babies after they are born. The study will provide accurate, population-based rates of preterm birth in different settings and quantify the risks of neonatal mortality and morbidity by gestational age and birth weight i…
Patterns of cultural consensus and intracultural diversity in Ghanaian complementary feeding practices
Designing effective interventions to improve infant and young child (IYC) feeding requires knowledge about determinants of current practices, including cultural factors. Current approaches to obtaining and using research on culture tend to assume cultural homogeneity within a population. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of cultural consensus (homogeneity) in communities where interventions to improve IYC feeding practices are n…
Countdown to 2030
“Every Newborn-INDEPTH” (EN-INDEPTH) study protocol for a randomised comparison of household survey modules for measuring stillbirths and neonatal deaths in five Health and Demographic Surveillance si…
BACKGROUND: may underestimate mortality rates particularly for stillbirths. METHODS: and FPH to measure pregnancy outcomes in a household survey in five selected INDEPTH Network sites in Africa and South Asia (Bandim in urban and rural Guinea-Bissau; Dabat in Ethiopia; IgangaMayuge in Uganda; Kintampo in Ghana; Matlab in Bangladesh). The survey will reach >68 000 pregnancies to assess if there is ≥15% difference in stillbirth rates. Additional qu…
Association between availability of children’s book and the literacy-numeracy skills of children aged 36 to 59 months
BACKGROUND: Stimulating home environments that have children's books, pictures and play toys facilitate caregiver-child interactions and enhance children's development. Although this has been demonstrated in small-scale intervention studies, it is important to document whether book ownership is beneficial at large scale in low and middle-income settings. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis using data from the multiple-indicator cluster sur…
Using Amanhi-ACT cohorts for external validation of Iowa new-born metabolic profiles based models for postnatal gestational age estimation
BACKGROUND: Globally, 15 million infants are born preterm and another 23.2 million infants are born small for gestational age (SGA). Determining burden of preterm and SGA births, is essential for effective planning, modification of health policies and targeting interventions for reducing these outcomes for which accurate estimation of gestational age (GA) is crucial. Early pregnancy ultrasound measurements, last menstrual period and post-natal ne…
The Philosophy of Disruption
Alexander Manu is a Strategic Innovation Practitioner, International Lecturer, and the author of numerous books. A Professor at OCAD University in Toronto, Canada, and visiting Lecturer at the Wallace McCain Institute, Canada. Manu is also a Senior Partner at Equilibrant, a boutique consultancy that provides strategic counsel and future-based advisory to executive teams in Fortune 500 companies.
Institutionalising maternal and newborn quality-of-care standards in Bangladesh, Ghana and Tanzania
INTRODUCTION: Facility interventions to improve quality of care around childbirth are known but need to be packaged, tested and institutionalised within health systems to impact on maternal and newborn outcomes. METHODS: We conducted cross-sectional assessments at baseline (2016) and after 18 months of provider-led implementation of UNICEF/WHO's Every Mother Every Newborn Quality Improvement (EMEN-QI) standards (preceding the WHO Standards for im…
Philosophy of Disruption
Understanding Disruption
Prevalence and risk factors of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 infection in women and children in peri-urban communities in Pakistan
Background: Population-based seroepidemiological surveys provide accurate estimates of disease burden. We compare the COVID-19 prevalence estimates from two serial serological surveys and the associated risk factors among women and children in a peri-urban area of Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: The AMANHI-COVID-19 study enrolled women and children between November 2020 and March 2021. Blood samples were collected from March to June 2021 (baseline) a…
Sero-prevalence and risk factors for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 infection in women and children in a rural district of Bangladesh
Background: Bangladesh reported its first COVID-19 case on March 8, 2020. Despite lockdowns and promoting behavioural interventions, as of December 31, 2021, Bangladesh reported 1.5 million confirmed cases and 27 904 COVID-19-related deaths. To understand the course of the pandemic and identify risk factors for SARs-Cov-2 infection, we conducted a cohort study from November 2020 to December 2021 in rural Bangladesh. Methods: After obtaining infor…
Machine learning prediction of gestational age from metabolic screening markers resistant to ambient temperature transportation
Background: Knowledge of gestational age is critical for guiding preterm neonatal care. In the last decade, metabolic gestational dating approaches emerged in response to a global health need; because in most of the developing world, accurate antenatal gestational age estimates are not feasible. These methods initially developed in North America have now been externally validated in two studies in developing countries, however, require shipment o…
Implementing maternal and newborn health quality of care standards in healthcare facilities to improve the adoption of respectful maternity care in Bangladesh, Ghana and Tanzania
INTRODUCTION: Many women worldwide cannot access respectful maternity care (RMC). We assessed the effect of implementing maternal and newborn health (MNH) quality of care standards on RMC measures. METHODS: We used a facility-based controlled before and after design in 43 healthcare facilities in Bangladesh, Ghana and Tanzania. Interviews with women and health workers and observations of labour and childbirth were used for data collection. We est…
Impact of travel time to health facilities on perinatal outcomes
Background: Evidence-based global guidance on safe travel time for small or sick newborns who require transfer to health facilities after birth is lacking. A two-hour threshold is frequently cited in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), while 30 minutes is commonly used in high-income countries (HICs). Although these thresholds are widely referenced, their empirical basis and consistency across levels of newborn care and journey types have n…
Medicine (13 works) · Environmental health (10 works) · Global Maternal and Child Health (7 works) · Population (7 works) · Pregnancy (7 works) · Internal Medicine (5 works) · Nursing (5 works) · Biology (4 works) · Pediatrics (4 works) · Child Nutrition and Water Access (3 works)