Dr Abera Tura

Biography

Abera Tura started his career as a Bachelor Science degree Nurse in 2006 at Haramaya University, Ethiopia as a graduate assistant. He then graduated with a Master of Public Health specialising in Reproductive Health in 2010. After working as a lecturer in the same university, Abera joined University Medical Centre Groningen for his PhD, studying on maternal near miss and maternal mortality in eastern Ethiopia. He completed his PhD in June 2019 and returned to Haramaya University where he founded and led several projects aimed at improving maternal and child health in Ethiopia.

In close collaboration with the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford and Leiden University Medical Centre, Abera is the founder of the Ethiopian Obstetric Surveillance System – inspired by the UK Obstetric Surveillance System – adapting the system to Ethiopian context to register severe maternal outcomes in pregnancy and childbirth and conduct confidential enquiry into maternal deaths. Abera has also introduced projects like PartoMa-Ethiopia (focusing on improving intrapartum care through continuous low dose high frequency trainings and seminars), EthiOMICS (Ethiopian Pregnancy and early life microbiome to assess changes in microbiome during pregnancy and its effect on birth outcomes), and AFRICARhE (African Initiative on eradicating rhesus disease in Africa).

Prior to joining Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) in 2024, Abera was an associate professor of maternal and newborn health and associate director of school of graduate studies (college of health and medical sciences) in Haramaya University.

Research interests

Abera’s research focuses on improving global maternal and child health through implementation science. This covers confidential enquiries into maternal and child deaths, maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response, criterion-based audit, audit and monitoring of caesarean section, obstetric early warning system, training of health workers, and health system strengthening. Abera is the Ethiopian country lead for the National Institute for Health and Care Research Global Health Research Group on optimising maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response project in Ethiopia, Ghana and Uganda.

Teaching

Abera is the co-lead of the Reproductive, Maternal, New-Born and Adolescent Health module at LSTM.

Selected research publications

Coadaptation and implementation of intrapartum clinical guidelines to save lives during childbirth Protocol for an adapted PartoMa intervention in Eastern Ethiopia – Journal: BMC Health Services Research – Published: 20th February 2026

Introduction of confidential enquiry into maternal deaths in Ethiopia: Implementation and methodological considerations – Journal: NIHR Open Research – Published: 6th February 2026

RhD alloimmunization in pregnancy and hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis – Journal: Best Practice and Research: Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology – Published: 1st February 2026

Neonatal Near Miss and Its Associated Factors among Neonates in Garowe City, Puntland, Somalia, 2025: A Cross Sectional Study – Journal: SAGE Open Nursing – Published: 8th January 2026

Exploring barriers to patient safety and incident reporting in resource-limited intensive care units: A qualitative study – Journal: Intensive and Critical Care Nursing – Published: 27th December 2025

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