Dr Sohinee Bhattacharya was an obstetric epidemiologist at the Aberdeen Centre for Women’s Health Research (ACWHR), and a valued friend and colleague. Sohinee sadly died on the 3rd August 2023 following a long illness, through which she remained committed to her research, teaching and supporting others at work.
Sohinee grew up in Calcutta where she also attended medical school, emigrating to the UK with her family in 1989. Following an initial career as a clinician, Sohinee spent time raising her two sons while developing her research skills in Global Health and Obstetric Epidemiology.
Here we share a few of Sohinee’s contributions to the advance of knowledge and learning, and how those who worked with Sohinee remember her today.
Sohinee’s research journey
Sohinee joined the University of Aberdeen in 2002 as a researcher with IMMPACT, a global project into Maternal Mortality. During the next five years her contribution to the development of methods and tools for measuring maternal mortality was greatly valued.
She undertook an MSc project on the incidence of severe complications in preeclampsia which was published in 2005. Appointed as a lecturer in Obstetric Epidemiology at the University of Aberdeen in 2006, Sohinee became Secretary of the Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal Databank (AMND) a year later and went on to develop this resource and its application in clinical research.
Sohinee completed her PhD on pregnancy loss in 2012. In a number of high-quality publications resulting from this work and other projects, Sohinee described the reality around pregnancy complications and outcomes across a range of clinical circumstances.
One of Sohinee’s greatest strengths was her ability to facilitate multiple research projects led by other researchers and institutions, underpinned by her expertise in epidemiology, the Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal Databank and data linkage in Scotland.
Sohinee published widely on recurrent stillbirth risk, pregnancy outcomes after miscarriage and antepartum haemorrhage, the impact of maternal obesity and the long-term maternal health implications of pre-eclampsia. Using the AMND she led and collaborated on multiple projects on the epidemiology of pre-eclampsia and its outcomes through record-linkage studies, evidence synthesis and individual participant data meta-analyses.
Sohinee maintained lasting collaborations with researchers and clinicians across the globe, from Edinburgh, Birmingham and Oxford in the UK, to as far afield as Australia and New Zealand.
Sohinee’s research on miscarriage challenged conventional thinking and overturned WHO guidance on the recommended 6-month interpregnancy interval following miscarriage. In work which was later cited by NICE in an evidence update, she showed that getting pregnant sooner reduced the risk of recurrent miscarriage and preterm birth.
Many of Sohinee’s projects allowed students and trainees to achieve their first scientific publication, on topics such as multiple pregnancy, antenatal steroids, infertility, pregnancy outcomes in women with with prior complications and even social determinants of pregnancy outcomes.
Sohinee’s global collaborations reflected her ability to see a project through from concept to impact, as is evident in a tribute from Rui Wang at Monash University (Australia). Rui explained how he first collaborated with Sohinee following a coffee break at a research workshop in Auckland in 2018. Their plan to conduct a systematic review on the use of antenatal corticosteroids on neonatal outcomes in twins came to fruition following many challenges, including coordinating meetings across three time zones, the pandemic, and Sohinee’s recovery from surgery. Rui said ‘While the work only represents a very small fraction of Sohinee’s contributions to perinatal medicine, it stands as a lasting memorial to a remarkable mentor, colleague, and friend. Moreover, the findings on the role of antenatal corticosteroids will help many more mothers and babies in the future."
Sohinee facilitated key projects led by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit in Oxford, where she collaborated with Prof Jenny Kurinczuk who said: ‘Sohinee’s help and collaborative support was invaluable when we sought to conduct research using the Databank. She was an exceptional epidemiologist with a deep and rich understanding of the databank, its strengths and limitation, and this shone through our collaborative work in relation to maternal sepsis and postpartum haemorrhage. Kate Fitzpatrick, also at NPEU said ‘Sohinee was an absolute pleasure to work with - always very friendly, supportive, generous with her time and an amazing host. I really enjoyed the time I spent with her in Aberdeen. I greatly valued her guidance, encouragement, and enthusiasm’.
PhD students
Sohinee supervised several PhD students, with three current students at the time of her death. One of these, Elinor Sebire, noted ‘Co-supervising my PhD project, Sohinee’s passion and drive was clear, offering me her advice, feedback and support throughout her illness and treatment. Sohinee brought her much respected clinical and academic insight into every aspect of my project, and was clearly cherished by all of her colleagues at the university.
Paolo Mazzone, University of Edinburgh PhD student, said: ‘Sohinee was not just a PhD supervisor to me but a mentor whose influence I anticipated cherishing for years to come... With unwavering dedication, she held high standards for me, challenging me to surpass my own limits. Yet, her challenges were always coupled with support and a genuine warmth that enveloped me. She instilled in me the belief that no question was trivial, no challenge insurmountable...."
Global health and teaching
Global Health was a major focus of Sohinee’s work, from her first research role in the IMPAACT group at UoA, improving maternal mortality reporting processes, and later teaching and leading on the MSc in Global Health and Management.
Professor Wendy Graham, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, worked with Sohinee on the IMPAACT programme. She said ‘Sohinee’s passion for research and teaching in the broad field of global health, and particularly in low-resource settings, shone through. Sohinee’ joined IMMPACT..and we worked together closely for five years.. to improve the measurement of maternal mortality in LMICs. Sohinee’s obstetric and epidemiology training was invaluable to this work, but she also drew on her deeply held beliefs in the right to be counted in birth and death1 and in the power of data to bring about change. I have fond memories of travelling together to Ghana.. I was particularly struck by Sohinee’s pragmatic approach to what seemed like an overwhelming set of obstacles to the reliable reporting of maternal deaths.. Sohinee loved data! [She] contributed to thinking laterally about the enormous problems of gathering reliable evidence in routine health settings where staff are so hard-pressed, and helped to design novel approaches, such as probabilistic assignment of cause of death2. She will be sorely missed but leaves a legacy which includes better tools and data for maternal mortality in those very parts of the world where Sohinee was drawn.’
Reflecting Sohinee’s teaching roles at UoA, including as Programme coordinator for Global Health and Management MSc, Professor Amudha Poobhalan noted: “Sohinee was passionate about teaching global health to Medical and Postgraduate Masters students. Having come to the UK from a different educational and cultural background, and having studied and lived here, she could identify both the challenges and recognise the potential among international students. She approached these challenges with compassion without compromising the quality of education. Her work with ‘decolonising the curriculum’ together with students brought out unique approaches such as cultural humility and mitigating professional bias. She was a pioneer who started the ‘film club’ for global health and medical humanities students, in which they discussed crucial social issues facing the global south stimulating fantastic discussing among young minds”.
How we remember Sohinee
Sohinee was passionate about public engagement and was regularly seen sharing the message that ‘data saves lives’ while sharing the work of the AMND with the local community.
Sohinee is remembered by us all for bringing a smile, good humour and tenacity to meetings, ensuring the highest standard of work from those she supported in research.
Sohinee was also remembered as an excellent cook who regularly hosted fantastic dinner parties with her husband, Professor Siladitya Bhattacharya.
Sohinee maintained long-term friendships with both clinical and academic colleagues. Dr Lucky Saraswat, consultant gynaecologist, said ‘Sohinee was a great friend, an enthusiastic and knowledgeable colleague, who would go out of the way to help students, trainees and colleagues. I did my very first research project with her using AMND and fertility database and continued to collaborate with her for future projects and publications. She was approachable, kind and would always make time to help people. She provided valuable insights bringing epidemiology, public health and women’s health together, raising the profile of ACWHR through her exemplary work. Having an office next to hers, I cherish memories of stimulating discussions over coffee on various projects and new ideas for future research. It is a personal and a professional loss. I feel the void and will miss her dearly.’
Dr David McLernon, Senior Research Fellow in Medical Statistics, said ‘I had the honour of working with Sohinee on several important reproductive medicine projects over the past 10 years. Sohinee was a very knowledgeable, supportive and kind colleague and friend who emanated a calmness which made you feel comfortable in her presence. She was a very warm, intelligent and witty lady, and I enjoyed spending time with her and Bhatty at conferences and at their amazing dinner parties. My wife and I will miss her deeply.’.
Mohan Kamath, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India said of Sohinee: ‘She was a wonderful person who had a calming presence.. I always felt comfortable to discuss anything under the sun and take her advice. Her contribution towards women's health issues was immense. She will be missed by all of us who were fortunate enough to know her’.
Doris Campbell, emeritus Reader in Obstetrics, said ‘I have known Sohinee and her husband and family from their arrival in Aberdeen in the 1990’s and enjoyed their friendship and hospitality over the years. Sohinee approached me to supervise her first foray into the world of research and it has been a delight to watch her progress into the accomplished and successful academic she became. I valued her friendship and many chats on many topics over the years even long after I retired. Her birthday was close to mine and she never forgot it! We will all miss her.’
Dr Andrea Woolner, Senior Clinical lecturer, said “Sohinee was an incredibly intelligent woman, with a powerful command of how data can change lives. From my first AMND project as a junior doctor to supervising my PhD, and then just before her death, securing my first large research grant, she guided and supported me endlessly, including throughout her illness. Sohinee was a fantastic mentor, and dedicated supervisor. I will never forget that she dropped everything the day of my viva and ran over to meet me. She was an honest and sharp researcher, always approachable and a wonderful colleague and friend. She instilled a love for the AMND in us all, and I hope the AMND can continue to be utilised in the way she so proudly envisaged.”
Dr Mairead Black said ‘I owe a debt of gratitude to Sohinee for introducing me to the world of research in such a supportive and enlightening way. Her legacy will live on through all the researchers whom she supported and the work which she led.’
Dr Asha Shetty, consultant obstetrician, said ‘Sohinee was a dear friend with who I had the privilege of collaborating on a number of obstetric publications and projects including being co-supervisor for trainee and student audits, electives and BSc degrees. She was such a fountain of knowledge when it came to the AMND database and making sense of any results from that and allied literature. She did so very much for raising the profile of this wonderful resource locally, nationally and internationally. Professionally I mainly remember her working with all of us calmly and gently making each one of us feel valued. On a personal level there are many treasured memories of the times we spent together, she was funny, down to earth and just cool all round’.
We will miss our friend and colleague.
Selected publications
The incidence of severe complications of preeclampsia (2005) Hypertension in Pregnancy 24(2) 181-190 https://doi.org/10.1081/PRG-200059873
Obstetric outcome in women with threatened miscarriage in the first trimester - PubMed (nih.gov) (2006) Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Effect of body mass index on pregnancy outcomes in nulliparous women delivering singleton babies (2007) BMC Public Health
Risk of recurrent stillbirth: systematic review and meta-analysis
Recurrence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: an individual patient data metaanalysis
Inherited predisposition to spontaneous preterm delivery
Maternal sepsis: a Scottish population‐based case–control study
1Graham WJ, Bhattacharya S, Armar-Klemesu M, Ofori-Adjei D (2004) Making maternal death a notifiable event. Commentary. Ghana Medical Journal, 38 (2), 48–5 Making maternal death a notifiable event | Semantic Scholar
2Fottrell E, Byass P, Ouédraogo TW, Tamini C, Gbangou A, Sombié I, Högberg U, Witten KH, Bhattacharya S, Desta T, Deganus S, Tornui J, Fitzmaurice AE, Meda N, Graham WJ (2007) Population Health Metrics, 5 (1) Revealing the burden of maternal mortality: a probabilistic model for determining pregnancy-related causes of death from verbal autopsies - PubMed (nih.gov)