Overview
Dr. Rohan D’Souza is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact at McMaster University. He is also a Maternal-Fetal Medicine physician at Hamilton Health Sciences. Dr. D’Souza is the co-lead on the Canadian Obstetric Survey System (CanOSS) – a nationwide study aimed at reducing severe adverse pregnancy events – and a Virtual Hub for knowledge mobilization activities related to reducing pregnancy related deaths and near-miss events in Canada. Dr. D’Souza has received numerous national and international grants and recognition for research and teaching and holds a Tier-2 Canada Research Chair in Maternal Health.
Areas of Research Interest
Dr. D’Souza’s clinical and research interests include: reducing the incidence of severe pregnancy-related morbidity and its long-term effects on families; improving pregnancy outcomes for individuals with cardiac and other medical disorders; incorporating preferences of pregnant individuals into clinical decision-making; addressing challenges with outcome reporting in pregnancy research; increasing the safety and success of vaginal birth following labour induction; and increasing vaccine confidence among pregnant and postpartum women and gender-diverse people.
Training
Dr. D’Souza received his M.D. from the University of Mumbai, and his Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR) from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) in the United Kingdom. He subsequently completed his fellowship training in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto and received his M.Sc and Ph.D. in Clinical Epidemiology from the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto.
Distinctions
2022: Tier-2 Canada Research Chair in Maternal Health.
2018: Fellowship of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (UK)
2018: Fellowship of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (UK)
Current Research Projects
- The Canadian Obstetric Survey System (CanOSS) - https://canoss.ca/
- The Outcome Reporting in Obstetric Studies (OROS) project - https://oros-project.com/
- The Confidence Project: Increase vaccine confidence among pregnant and postpartum women and gender diverse people - https://confidenceproject.ca/
- Improving pregnancy outcomes in patients with mechanical heart valves
- Increasing the safety and effectiveness of labour induction
Educational and Mentorship Activities
- Dr. D’Souza leads FLOURISH – a McMaster lab committed to training the next generation of researchers in initiatives aimed at reducing pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality, improving patient-important outcomes and the provision of compassionate, respectful, culturally sensitive, family-centred pregnancy and postpartum care. To this end, members of the lab engage in a wide range of educational activities for students, trainees, early career researchers, clinicians and the community. These are highlighted at weekly lab meetings and will soon be posted on the lab’s website. A formal program of mentorship is currently being developed.
Trainee Supervision
- Dr. D’Souza is considering supervision of PhD students enrolled on the Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact Program at McMaster University, as well as postdoctoral fellows and visiting researchers on a case-by-case basis.