Maternal, Newborn, and Adolescent Health

Newborns are unable to regulate their body temperature often leading to hypothermia, a condition affecting up to 85% of newborns globally and approximately 4-12 million Indian newborns yearly. The BEMPU Hypothermia Alert Device is a newborn temperature-monitoring wristband that alerts caregivers if their newborn is hypothermic enabling intervention well before complications or death can occur.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) including pre-eclampsia and eclampsia are a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide, yet can be prevented through early detection of blood pressure (BP) and timely and evidence-based case management. We propose to integrate a cuffless smartphone BP measurement software (OptiBP) within a robust longitudinal health record and decision support system (OpenSRP) for ANC, as a comprehensive approach to drive accurate assessment and timely management of HDP and improve correct action rates.

Working in close collaboration with the Zambian government and local partners, Gradian will install its Universal Anaesthesia Machine (UAM) - the world's only CE-certified anesthetic device designed to work without electricity and medical oxygen - in 33 operating theaters. Gradian's partners will administer two capacity building courses: one for anesthesia providers (focused on obstetrics and pediatrics) and one for biomedical technicians (focused on maintaining the UAM and related equipment).

Poor and inadequate childcare in informal urban settlements is a challenge that is faced in cities worldwide. inadequate childcare holds back children from realizing their lifetime potential, keeping them on the back foot for life. The impacts of poor childcare reverberates on multiple levels – developmental, economic and health. In Africa, which is poised to have 1 billion children below 5 by the year 2050, the detrimental impact of poor childcare in dragging the continent’s future prospects cannot be underestimated.

In 2018, the Medical Research Council of the UK and Uganda Virus Research Institute (MRC/UVRI) first collaborated with Partners in Health Canada (PIH) to bundle and scale-up their respective innovations: PIH’s pediatric developmental clinic (PDC) and MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit’s ABAaNA Early Intervention Program (EIP).PDCs expand clinic-based care with home visits and parent support groups that promote stimulating, responsive follow-up care for high-risk infants after discharge from hospitals and health centers.

Children who receive quality early childhood education and care (“ECCE”) are proven to be healthier, do better and stay longer in school, and have better economic trajectories in adult life. But it is estimated that over 250m children under 5 worldwide - the majority of whom are situated in rural communities in LMIC - do not receive adequate ECCE [The Lancet ECD Series: 2007, 2011 & 1016].

In India, people with disability, particularly children with delayed development, are extremely marginalized. In Tamil Nadu, 45% of children with disabilities do not attend school, compared to 3% of all children in India. Early intervention (EI) therapies have been proven particularly effective for children with, or at risk of, developmental delays, including increasing their educational and developmental gains.

Indigenous mothers experience many barriers to care in the Canadian medical system, which includes the exclusion of Elders, the removal of care from the community, the erasure or dismissal of traditional teachings and celebrations, systemic racism which creates a lack of cultural safety for Indigenous women and families, and the decentralization of spirituality. Indigenous birth outcomes are significantly worse than those of the majority non-Indigenous population in Canada, across every major birth outcome.

This innovation addresses two barriers to quality post-abortion care (PAC) in Yemen: the inadequate PAC training and the lack of mental health support for those providing this service. A 2019 BMC Public Health study found that 63.2% of doctors surveyed in Yemen are experiencing a high degree of burnout (defined as emotional exhaustion, increased depersonalization, and a diminished sense of personal accomplishment due to chronic emotional stress). This percentage is likely to be higher for PAC providers, who face significant social stigma for the services they perform.

Many children living in conflict areas suffer from stunting and malnutrition. Manual measurement to determine malnutrition has been the standard for decades but known challenges like cumbersome equipment, uncooperative children, and inaccuracy persist. Measurements are often not transferred from paper to digital records or they are incomplete. Without better data, scarce resources will be sub-optimally applied and individuals risk missing out on life-altering, early treatment.