Rohan D’Souza was one of 140 international delegates invited by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Human Reproduction Programme (HRP) to take part in the Global Pre-eclampsia Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, from 5 to 8 May 2026, where he represented the Canadian Obstetric Survey System (CanOSS).

D’Souza, Scientific Director of the FLOURISH Group and Principal Investigator for CanOSS, was invited to provide expert input into the Summit deliberations as part of a global effort to improve how pre-eclampsia is prevented, diagnosed, treated, and addressed through health systems. The invitation comes as CanOSS-Ontario builds its work on severe pregnancy complications, with pre-eclampsia among the conditions expected to be studied through the surveillance system.

Hosted by WHO and HRP, formally the UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction, the Summit brought together researchers, policymakers, clinicians, funders, product developers, advocates, global health agencies, and representatives from 26 national ministries of health.

According to WHO, pre-eclampsia accounts for 16 per cent of maternal deaths and half a million fetal and newborn deaths each year. Behind those figures are families, clinicians, and health systems facing a condition that can move quickly, become life-threatening, and expose gaps in evidence, access, and care.

The Summit focused on priorities across research, clinical guidance, access to health products, implementation, and advocacy, with the aim of shaping a Global Roadmap and Call to Action on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy through 2030 and beyond.

For CanOSS, the invitation connects Canadian surveillance work with a wider global effort to understand where severe pregnancy complications are being missed, how care can be strengthened, and what health systems need in order to respond earlier and more consistently.

“Being invited into a World Health Organization discussion on pre-eclampsia speaks to the kind of contribution CanOSS can make,” D’Souza said. “Severe pregnancy complications do not only require better clinical care at the bedside. They require stronger surveillance, clearer evidence, and systems that can learn across jurisdictions. This Summit is an opportunity to bring a Canadian perspective into that global conversation, and to learn from countries and partners facing the same challenge in very different health-system contexts.”