Preterm Birth Dialogues Virtual Conference 29-20 March 2021

The Pre-term Birth Dialogues Virtual Conference was held 29 - 30 March 2021. The conference was a network meeting organized by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Global Health Research Group on the prevention and management of preterm birth in low- and middle-income countries (PRIME), funded by the NIHR Global Health Research programme of the United Kingdom. It focused on the theme: Addressing the challenges of meeting SDGs related to Maternal and Child Health by mitigating Pre-term Birth in Low- and Middle-income countries (LMICs). It brought together leading international researchers in diverse disciplines to discuss recent advances, challenges, and emerging research trends in Maternal Newborn and Child Health, and Sexual and Reproductive Health, focussing on preterm birth science, practice, and policy. As the PRIME research group prioritises capacity building, the participation of young investigators and early career researchers from multiple continents was encouraged, to share research findings, dialogue, and formulate new research strategies to reduce the preterm birth burden in vulnerable communities and groups in low resource settings. The presentations covered research ranging from epidemiology, social sciences, genetics, immunology, metabolomics, microbiology, diagnostics, prognostics, biomarkers, and guideline/policy development in several contexts in the LMIC settings of the Global South. This book of abstracts details the peer-reviewed and selected abstracts and invited lectures presented during the two-day conference.