The World Health Organization estimates that 70% of the 10 million child deaths in developing countries each year is due to diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria, measles, and malnutrition. Robert E. Black, M.D., M.P.H. has focused his research and professional activities on reducing the number of these unnecessary deaths. He is conducting epidemiologic research on the interaction of infectious diseases and nutrition, clinical and community-based trials of new vaccines to prevent childhood infectious diseases, and trials of nutritional interventions to reduce infectious disease morbidity and mortality, as well as improve growth and development. He is also assisting with implementation of disease control and nutrition programs in developing countries and conducting evaluations of their effectiveness and mortality impact. His other interests are related to the use of evidence in policy and programs, estimation of the burden of disese, development of research capacity and strengthening of public health training.

International health, diarrhea, evaluation, infectious diseases, malaria, malnutrition, pneumonia, policy, zinc

Baqui AH, Arifeen SE, Darmstadt GL, Ahmed S, Willliams EK, Seraji HR, Mannan I, Rahman SM, Shah R, Saha SK, Syed U, Winch PJ, Lefevre A, Santosham M, Black RE for the Projahnmo Study Group. Effect of community-based newborn-care intervention package implemented through two service-delivery strategies in Sylhet district, Bangladesh: a cluster-randomised controlled trial. Lancet 371:1936-44; June 7, 2008.

Roth DE, Caulfield LE, Black RE, Nutrition and childhood pneumonia: Global burden and opportunities for prevention. Bull WHO 86:356-364, 2008.

Fischer-Walker CL, Ezzati M, Black RE. Zinc deficiency: The global burden of disease. Eur J Clin Nutr 86:356-364, 2008.

Bhandari N, Mazumder S, Taneja S, Dube B., Agarwal RC, Mahalanabis D, Fontaine O, Black RE, Bhan MK, The Effectiveness of zinc supplementation plus ORS compared to ORS alone as a treatment for acute diarrhea in a primary health care setting: A cluster-randomized trial. Pediatrics 121;e1279-e1285, 2008; doi:10.1542/peds.2007-1939.

Black RE, Allen LH, Bhutta ZA, Caulfield LE, de Onis M, Ezzati M, Mathers C, Rivera J, for the Maternal and Child Undernutrition Study Group. Maternal and child undernutrition: Global and regional exposures and health consequences. Lancet 371: 243-60, 2008.

Bishai D, Mirchandani G, Pariyo G, Burnham G, Black RE. The cost of quality improvements due to integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) in Uganda. Health Economics DOI: 10. 1002/hec. 1231; 26 January 2007.

Baqui AH, El Arifeen S, Saha SK, Persson LA, Zaman K, Gessner BD, Moulton LH, Black RE, Santosham M. Effectiveness of Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine on prevention of pneumonia and meningitis in Bangladeshi children: A case-control study. Pediatr Inf Dis 26:565-571, 2007.

Walker N, Bryce J, Black R. Interpreting health statistics for policymaking: the story behind the headlines. Lancet 369:956-963, 2007.

Sazawal S, Black RE, Ramsan M. Chwaya HM, Dutta A, Dhingra U, Stoltzfus RJ, Othman MK, Kabole FM. Effects of zinc supplementation on mortality in children aged 1-48 months: A community-based randomized placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 369:927-934, 2007.

Iannotti LL, Tielsch JM, Black MM, Black RE. Iron supplementation in early childhood: health benefits and risks. Am J Clin Nutr 84:1261-1276, 2006.

Sazawal S, Dingra U, Hiremath G, Kumar J, Dhingra P, Sakar A, Menon VGP, Black RE. Effects of fortified milk on morbidity in young children in north India: Community based, randomized, double masked placebo controlled trial.BMJ. doi:10.1136/bmj.39035.482396.55, 2006.

Sazawal S, Hiremath G, Dhingra U, Malik P, Deb S, Black RE. Efficacy of probiotics in prevention of acute diarrhoea: A meta-analysis of masked, randomised, placebo-controlled trials. Lancet Inf Dis 6:374-382, 2006.

Bobat R, Coovadia H, Stephen C, Naidoo KL, McKerrow N, Black RE, Moss, WJ. Safety and efficacy of zinc supplementation for children with HIV-1 infection in South Africa: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 366:18862-1867. 2005.

Darmstadt GL, Saha SK, Ahmed ASMNU, Chowdhury MAKA, Law PA, Ahmed S, Alam MA, Black RE, Santosham M. Effect of tropical therapy with skin barrier-enhancing emollients on nosocomial infections in preterm infants in Bangladesh: a randomized, controlled clinical trial. Lancet 365:1039-1045, 2005.

Penny ME, Creed-Kanashiro HM, Robert RC, Narro R, Caulfield LE, Black RE. Effectiveness of an educational intervention delivered through the health services to improve your child nutrition: A cluster-randomised controlled trial. Lancet 365:1863-1872, 2005.

Bryce J, Black RE, Walker N, Bhutta ZA, Lawn JE, Steketee RW. Can the world afford to save the lives of 6 million children each year? Lancet 365:2193-2200, 2005.

Bryce J, Victora CG, Habicht J-P, Vaughan P, Black RE. The multi-country evaluation of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness strategy: Lessons for the Evaluation of Public Health Interventions. Am J Pub Health 94:406-415, 2004.

Brooks WA, Yunus Md, Santosham M, Wahed MA, Nahar K, Yeasmin SY, Black RE. Efficacy of zinc in the treatment of pneumonia in hospitalized infants less than 2 years of age. Lancet 363:1683-1688, 2004.

Caulfield LE, de Onis M, Blössner M, Black RE. Undernutrition as an underlying cause of child deaths associated with diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria and measles. Am J Clin Nutr 80:193-198, 2004.

Sazawal S, Black RE. Effect of pneumonia case management on mortality in neonates, infants, and preschool children: a meta-analysis of community-based trials. Lancet Inf Dis 3:547-556, 2003.

Morris SS, Black RE, Tomaskovic L. Predicting the distribution of under-five deaths by cause in countries without adequate vital registration systems. Int J Epidem 32:1041-1051,2003.

Black RE, Morris SS, Bryce J. Where and why are 10 million children dying every year? Lancet 361:2226-2234, 2003.

Jones G, Steketee RW, Black RE, Bhutta AZ, Morris S and the Bellagio Child Survival Study Group. How many child deaths can we prevent this year? Lancet 362:65-71, 2003.

Checkley W, Epstein LD, Gilman RH, Cabrera L, Black RE. Effects of acute diarrhea on linear growth in Peruvian children. Amer J Epidemiol 157:166-175, 2003.

Osendarp SJM, West CE, Black RE on behalf of the Maternal Zinc Supplementation Study Group. The need for maternal zinc supplementation in developing countries: An unresolved issue. J Nutr 133:817S-827S, 2003.

Baqui AH, Black RE, Arifeen SE, Yunus M, Chakraborty J, Ahmed S, Vaughan P. Effect of zinc supplementation started during diarrhoea on morbidity and mortality Bangladeshi children: community randomized trial. Brit Med J 325:1059-1065, 2002.

Merson MH, Black RE, Mills AJ. (eds.) International Public Health: Diseases, Programs, Systems and Policies. Jones and Bartlett Publishers 2006, 730 p.

Arifeen SE, Black RE, Antelman G, Baqui AH, Caulfield LE, Becker S. Exclusive breastfeeding reduces acute respiratory infection and diarrhea deaths among infants in Dhaka slums. Pediatr. 2001:108(4). URL: http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/108/4/e67.

Sazawal S, Black RE, Menon VP, Dhingra P, Caulfield LE, Dhingra U, Bagati A. Zinc supplementation in infants born small for gestational age reduces mortality: A prospective randomized controlled trial. Pediatr 108:1280-1286, 2001.

Checkley W, Epstein LD, Gilman RH, Figeroa D, Cama RI, Patz JA, Black RE. Effects of the El Niño phenomenon and ambient temperature on hospital admissions for diarrheal disease in Peruvian children. Lancet 355:442-450, 2000.

Zinc Investigators’ Collaborative Group (S. Sazawal and R.E. Black, coordinators). Therapeutic effects of oral zinc in acute and persistent diarrhea in children in developing countries: Pooled analysis of randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr 72:1516-1522, 2000.