Spotlight on Philanthropy
Newsletter Fall 2021
Generous Gift Propels Research in Early Detection of Placenta Accreta Spectrum Disorders
A generous gift of $150,000 from an anonymous donor is enabling Dr. Yalda Afshar to transform the way placenta accreta spectrum disorders are diagnosed. “This generous gift gives our team the ability to move our preliminary data from the bench to the bedside where innovation is needed to improve maternal health. It’s such an honor to do work that has the capacity to improve the care our patients receive,” said Dr. Afshar. Considered a high-risk pregnancy complication, the rate of placenta accreta is rapidly increasing as the rate of cesarean birth increases in the United States and worldwide. Placenta accreta leads to early delivery, heavy bleeding, and a multitude of surgical interventions. Current screening modalities for placenta accreta perform poorly and are very limited in low-resource areas. In great thanks to this partnership, Dr. Afshar aims to create a simple blood test that can let a woman and her care team know if she is at high risk for placenta accreta, which will help steer the pregnancy to the right delivery location and ultimately lead to better outcomes for our patients at UCLA Health and beyond.
For more information on how to make a philanthropic impact, please contact Gemma Badini, Senior Director of Development, at 310-405-4583 or [email protected].