The webinar of the Journal of Clinical Medicine, entitled “Advances in Preterm Delivery”, was held on Thursday 24 September 2020 and was chaired by Prof. Dr. Eyal Sheiner from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

After a brief introduction given by the Chair, Prof. Dr. Gian Carlo Di Renzo from University of Perugia discussed the evidence on prevention of preterm birth. Prof. Dr. Shali Mazaki-Tovi from Tel Aviv University presented the benefits of bed rest for the prevention of preterm births. Prof. Dr. Eyal Sheiner discussed the complications linked to this issue. The webinar concluded with the research of Prof. Dr. Nir Melamed from University of Toronto on serial monitoring of cervical length in twin pregnancies.

Details of experts: Prof. Dr. Eyal Sheiner, MD, PhD is Deichmann-Lerner Full Professor. He is the Chairman of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology B at the Soroka University Medical Center, and the Vice Dean, Student Affair, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He served as the Director of the Residency Program and as the Deputy Director General of the hospital. His PhD study and ultrasound fellowship at Rush University Medical Center (Chicago, Il) were supported by a grant from the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program of the United States. Professor Sheiner has published extensively in the area of perinatal epidemiology, and has more than 540 peered-reviewed publications. He is the editor of 10 books and a member of the Editorial board of 6 scientific journals.

Prof. Dr. Di Renzo is Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Perugia in Italy. He is Director of both the Reproductive and Perinatal Medicine Center in Perugia and founder of the Permanent International and European School of Perinatal and Reproductive Medicine (PREIS) in Florence. He is full Professor at the Dept of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the I.M. Sechenov First State University of Moscow since 2019. He is coordinating the Women’s Library ( GLOWM ) of FIGO after being General Secretary for two terms (2012-2018) . Prof. Di Renzo is an Honorary Professor and Doctor Honoris Causa at 16 different Universities throughout Europe, Asia, South America, and the United States. He is an Academic Member of the Romanian and Russian Academy of Sciences. Prof. Di Renzo has received six awards for his work in human reproduction and maternal-infant's health, scientific research, and teaching. He has organized more than 350 international congresses and courses, some of these are held regularly (Diabetes in Pregnancy: DIP, Birth, World Congress of Maternal Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, TWINS, etc). His scientific production comprises over 1,300 papers of which more than 400 have been published in peer reviewed international journals ( HI 42) and 82 books.

Prof. Dr. Shali Mazaki-Tovi is the Director of High-Risk Department, Director of Mater-Fetal-Medicine Division and a Senior Vise Chair at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Josef Buchmann Gynecology and Maternity Hospital , Sheba Medical Center and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel. Prof. Mazaki-Tovi graduated from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel and completed his residency at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Sheba Medical Center. Subsequently, he perused a fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine at Wayne State University and the Perinatology Research Branch of National Institute of Child Health and Human Development/National Institutes of Health (NICHD/NIH), as well as a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Perinatology Research Branch of NICHD/NIH. The research of Prof Mazaki-Tovi is focused on the role of adipocytokines and adipose tissue in adaptations to normal gestation and pregnancy complications.

Dr. Melamed is a staff physician in the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and an Associate Scientist at the Sunnybrook Research Institute. He holds an appointment of an Associate Professor at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Toronto.Dr. Melamed is the recipient of the Waugh Family Chair in Twin Research at the University of Toronto and is the Director of the Sunnybrook Twin Research Center (https://twincentre.sunnybrook.ca/). Dr. Melamed has co-authored over 160 original research papers, as well as 10 book chapters and reviews, and his research has been presented in numerous national and international congresses.His main topics of interest include twin pregnancies, placental disease, and fetal growth.