1 WHO recommendations for care of the preterm or low birth weight infant, Guideline development group (GDG) meetings 1-20 November 2021; GDG biographies
Andrew Weeks University of Liverpool, United Kindom
Prof Weeks is Professor of International Maternal Health Care at the University of Liverpool and Director of the Sanyu Research Unit. He was brought up in Kenya, but had his undergraduate and postgraduate medical training around Yorkshire. In 2001 he returned to East Africa for 2 years as visiting lecturer in O&G at Makerere University in Uganda. In 2003 he joined the University of Liverpool as first clinical lecturer, then senior lecturer before being awarded a personal chair in 2011. He is also honorary consultant obstetrician at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, one of the UK’s largest obstetric units. Prof Weeks’ primary interest is in the translation of maternity care from high to low resource settings. He has a particular interest in misoprostol (he runs the www.misoprostol.org website), induction of labour and the third stage of labour. He has an interest in developing medical technologies and has initiated 3 patents for clinical devices. He designed a novel bedside neonatal resuscitation trolley (‘LifeStart’) to facilitate neonatal resuscitation with an intact cord which is now in widespread use in the UK, with a low-cost alternative for low resource settings. Another, a novel device to treat postpartum haemorrhage (the ‘PPH Butterfly’), has been funded in 2 successive grants by the NIHR i4i fund for over £1 million. It was 2015 Innovation of the Year in the NIHR NW Coast Research and Innovations awards and finalist in the 2015 Plastics Industry Awards. Prof Weeks has over 200 publications to his name and currently runs clinical trials in the UK, Uganda and India, funded by the MRC, Wellcome Trust, DFID and NIHR.
Ayede Adejumoke Idowu
University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria Dr Idowu is currently a Senior Lecturer and a Consultant Paediatrician/Neonatologist with the Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan and University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. She is also a joint Lecturer in the Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan. She is currently the team lead for perinatal health research, newborn and child survival research consortium of the Institutions. Her research focus is in use of simple and effective interventions for improving maternal, newborn and child survival with sub foccus on preterm birth, neonatal infections, birth defects and nutrition. She has won many research grants including 4 Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation/WHO grants on neonatal infections, oxygen delivey and Antenatal Corticosteroid Trial I and III, McArthur Institutional grant on newborn kidney nomogram, Save the Children International grant on postnatal and neonatal care seeking behaviour in Nigeria and Demographic Health Survey and Multiple Indicator Cluster survey study by University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom among others. She is the Co-Chair Technical Working Group on Children with Special Needs and a member of Nigerian Newborn and Child Health Technical Working Committee for Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria. She is also a National Course Director for Nigeria Essential Newborn Care Course. She was awarded Fellow Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in 2015. She was recognised in November 2019 by Just Actions, USA as one of the global ten women silent heroes fighting pneumonia the leading killer of Children globally and was also selected as the celebrated health worker of the year 2020 on World Health Day 2020 by Every Breath Counts USA . She is currently the Sub-Editor Global Women’s Health Journal and She has over 80 Publications in learned journals.
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Bogale Worku Ethiopian Pediatrics, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Dr Worku is a paediatrician with more than twenty five years of experience in teaching both undergraduate and post graduate students on child health . Dr Worku's teaching mainly focuses on neonatal health in particular and child health in general. As a faculty Dr Worku has been engaged in conducting several research activities.Dr Worku's contribution in research out-puts such as Kangaroo mother care are of practical importance to reduce morbidity and mortality in the low birth weight and premature babies the applicability of which stretches from the tertiary level new-born care to the community care at home. Dr Worku was the chair for the department of Paediatrics and Child Health Addis Ababa University Faculty of Medicine for more than five years As a result of my experience and contributions Dr Worku has achieved the highest academic rank (full professorship) in the academic community by Addis Ababa University. Currently Dr Worku is an executive director of the Ethiopian paediatrics society. While in the office in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Health of Ethiopia and UNCEF Ethiopia Dr Worku was a leader in establishing newborn corners in 100 health facilities (50 hospital and 50 health centres) and then later they were scaled to 800 health centres in Ethiopia. In collaboration with Federal Ministry of Health of Ethiopia, UNCEF Ethiopia, WHO Ethiopia and ICAP- Ethiopia Dr Worku led the establishment of NICUS in 180 hospitals in Ethiopia with basic training for the nurses and follow up after training Dr Worku led and coordinated and developed training manuals for newborn corners and NICU nurse trainings in Ethiopian settings. Dr Worku has published more than 50 papers on peer reviewed journals focusing newborn health.
Carole Kenner Council of International Neonatal Nurses, United States of America
Dr Kenner is the Chief Executive Officer, Council of International Neonatal Nurses, Inc. (COINN) and Carol Kuser Loser Dean &
Professor at The College of New Jersey School of Nursing, Health, and Exercise Science. Dr. Kenner received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Cincinnati, and both a Master of Science in neonatal/perinatal nursing and doctorate with a minor in higher education from Indiana University. She serves as secretary for the Healthcare Professionals Association constituency for PMNCH. She has authored more than 100 journal articles and 40 textbooks. Her career is dedicated to nursing education and policy to improve the health of neonates and families. She helped set healthcare standards for educating neonatal nurses nationally and internationally. Here research interests are transition from hospital to home; neonatal workforce issues; and developmental/family-centered care. Professional achievements include: Serves on the Consensus Committee of Neonatal Intensive Care Design Standards, which sets recommendations for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit designs, the Gravens Infant and Family Centered Developmental Care Task Force creating standards and competencies. Serves on the Advisory Committee for the Trauma Informed Certification in Neonatal Care. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), a fellow in the National Academies of Practice, and Academy of Nursing Education Fellow, past president of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) and founding President of the Council of International Neonatal Nurses (COINN), the first international organization representing neonatal nursing. Dr. Kenner is the 2011 recipient of the Sigma Theta Tau Audrey Hepburn Award for Contributions to the Health and Welfare of Children internationally.
Gary Darmstadt (Chair) Stanford University, California, United States of America
Dr Darmstadt is Associate Dean for Maternal and Child Health, and Professor of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He is a member of the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group of Experts (STAGE) Committee on Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health, and Nutrition for the World Health Organization (WHO) and is Co-Chair of the WHO Guidelines Development Group on Care of the Preterm or Low Birth Weight Infant. Recently he led the Steering Committee for The Lancet Series on Gender Equality, Norms and Health, and is a Commissioner on The Lancet Commission on Gender and Global Health. Previously Dr Darmstadt was Senior Fellow in the Global Development Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), where he catalyzed gender equality programs including establishment of Grand Challenges on Putting Women and Girls at the Center of Development. Prior to this role, he served as BMGF Director of Family Health, leading strategy development and implementation across nutrition, family planning and maternal, newborn and child health. Dr Darmstadt was formerly Associate Professor and Founding Director of the International Center for Advancing Neonatal Health in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He has trained in Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University, in Dermatology at Stanford University, and in Pediatric Infectious Disease as a fellow at the University of Washington, Seattle, where he also was Assistant Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine.
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Hoang Tran Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children, Da Nang, Viet Nam
Dr Hoang Thi Tran is a neonatologist at Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children, Viet Nam. She gained her paediatric Master and PhD degrees at the University of Melbourne, Australia, following her undergraduate medical doctor degree at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City. Dr Tran has held a dual role as the Deputy Director of Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children as well as the Acting Head of Paediatrics at the School of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Da Nang. She is also the deputy president of Vietnam perinatal and neonatal association and a member of the Independent Review Group for WHO-Western Pacific region on monitoring implementation of the Action Plan for Healthy Newborns. Her passion is improving maternal and child health based on low-cost and effective interventions such as breast feeding, early essential newborn care, and kangaroo mother care.
Karim Manji Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania
Prof Manji is Professor in Pediatrics at the School of Medicne, Muhimbili University of Health Sciences, Tanzania. Prof Manji trained in neonatal medicine in 1994 followed by Royal Postgraduate Medical School training. Prof Manji has supervised many dissertations from the neonatal unit, provided service for almost 20 years in the same unit. Prof Manji has been involved in clinical duties in the neonatal unit, published a situation analysis of newborn and championed activities related to reduction of neonatal deaths in Tanzania. Prof Manji has undertaken large clinical trials on nutritional supplements and child health and further completed two large multicentre trias on diarrhoeal diseases in children and vitamin D in HIV pregnant women . Prof Manji has completed an cohort study on low birth weight infant feeding and is currently undertaking a large clinical trial on possible serious bacterial infection in the newborn.
Khalid Yunis American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
Dr Yunis is a professor of pediatrics and adolescent medicine, head of the division of neonatology and medical director NICU at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC). Being at the other end of the spectrum, dealing with premature babies, and their families in a highly intense environment, made him look for potential solutions for mothers at risk of premature birth to provide better care for the mother and her baby. His clinical experience and research focus on the continuum of care for women, as his work over the years has been bridging between preconception health, maternal health, newborn health, and quality of care contributing to health outcomes for neonates. Dr. Yunis has contributed to the literature over 90 manuscripts published in peer-reviewed journals. He participated in meetings organized by WHO as an expert consultant, temporary advisor, steering committee member, and guidelines development group member. He has served, appointed, and elected, on committees, and task forces at AUBMC. He has been also invited as a speaker to different meetings at the national, regional, and international level. He served as a member of the Technical Review Team for the landmark report on preterm birth, Born Too Soon: A Global Action Report on Preterm Birth, among others. In 1998, Dr. Yunis established the National Collaborative Perinatal Neonatal Network (NCPNN), which is the first surveillance network of its kind in the Middle East. NCPNN aims at filling the need for improved health indicators, particularly in maternal and neonatal health. NCPNN collects in-hospital data prospectively on all mothers and their newborns admitted to the network member hospitals. Current NCPNN database includes data on over 325,000 coupled mothers and their newborns. Besides its large surveillance database, NCPNN continues to lead on several research and quality improvement projects implemented at selected NCPNN member hospitals. NCPNN has collaborated with national, regional, and international institutions, including the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the March of Dimes Foundation (MOD), the World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva and EMRO, UNICEF, Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), London School of Hygiene, University of Iowa, York University, Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH) OHIO, Case Western University, Lebanese Ministry of Public health (MOPH), Lebanese Ministry of Higher Education (MEHE), Lebanese Pediatric Society, Lebanese Obstetrics Society, and several others. The network surveillance system serves as a tool to improve the quality of care through implementing quality improvement projects, building capacity, defining policies, applying intervention programs, designing, and carrying out research projects, and others.
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Liz Comrie-Thomson Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia
Dr Comrie-Thomson is a trained social science researcher working in maternal and child health. Her research and programming work includes a particular focus on links between nutrition and early child development, parenting roles, and gender inequality, as well as gender-synchronised approaches to improve perinatal health and nutrition outcomes. Dr Comrie-Thomson has contributed to nutrition-focused research studies and development programs in Timor-Leste, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Cambodia, Myanmar, Lao PDR, and Kenya. Dr Comrie Thomson led the review into adolescent nutrition deficiencies for the 2015 Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing, and completed an evidence review commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to inform Australian government funding for action on undernutrition. She has extensive experience in the integration of nutrition with other sectors, including water and sanitation (WASH), gender, education and agriculture, and led the development of a national action plan to improve integration between WASH and nutrition in Cambodia. Dr Comrie-Thomson has also contributed to individual- and community-level strategies to address the double burden of malnutrition in both urban and rural settings, typically with a focus on gender-transformative approaches to improve nutrition outcomes.
Mats Blennow Karolinska Institutet and University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
Prof Blennow has worked as senior consultant in neonatal medicine at Karolinska University Hospital for more than 30 years and is professor in neonatal neurosciences at Karolinska Institutet. Prof Blennow has published 84 papers in peer reviewed medical journals including NEJM, Lancet Child and adolescent health and JAMA Pediatrics focusing mainly on neonatal neurology and preterm birth. He co-authored the recent paper in NEJM (Pejovic et al, NEJM 2019) on the RCT of using laryngeal mask airway for neonatal resuscitation performed in Uganda. Also he was senior author on the neonatal resuscitation guidelines for Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) published in Neonatology In 2018 (Umphrey et al). Mats Blennow has done missions for MSF in Jordan (Irbid) and in Nigeria (Jahun, Jigawa state). He is enrolled in the MSF Telemedicine support. Prof Blennow has held the following positions: Head of Dept of Clinical science,Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Intitutet 2017-2021, President EAPS meeting in Barcelona 2016; President European Society for Neonatology, 2008- 2014; Board member European Society Pediatric Research 2008- 2014; Member of the Ethical Research Board in Stockholm 2008- 2016;
Board member Swedish Perinatal Society 2000-2004; Working secretary, ESPR Working group Brain & Development 2000-2002;
Board member Section of neonatology, Swedish Pediatric Society 1996-2004 Mohammod Shaidullah Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical
University, Bangladesh
Dr. Mohammod Shahidullah is now working as Professor in the Department of Neonatology in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU). He became medical graduate in January, 1982. He did Post Graduation FCPS (Paediatrics) in January, 1989. He worked in John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, Australia as Registrar in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for two years. Dr. Shahidullah established Post Graduate course that is MD in Neonatology in this Medical University in 2000 for the first time in Bangladesh. Currently he is holding the position of President, Bangladesh Medical & Dental Council (BMDC), Chairman, National Technical Advisory Committee for COVID- 19, Immediate Past President, Bangladesh Paediatric Association (BPA), Immediate Past President, Federation of Asia-Oceania Perinatal Societies (FAOPS), Chairman, National Technical Working Committee (NTWC) on Newborn Health, Past President of Bangladesh Neonatal Forum (BNF), Founder Secretary General of Bangladesh Perinatal Society (BPS), Secretary General of Child Health Foundation, Bangladesh. He is now working as Temporary Advisor to Regional Director of WHO-SEAR in Immunization TAG committee. He is a member of National Ethical Review Committee (NERC) of Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC).
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Nafisa Hamoud Al jaifi Sana'a University, Yemen Dr Al-Jaifi is Associate Professor at Sanaa’ University, College of Medicine. She has a PhD. in Medicine (Pediatrics-Subspecialist Neonatology) from the Pediatrics Medical Academy from Saint-Petersburg, Russia. She has an MSc. Degree in Pediatrics and Bachelor Degree of General Medicine & Surgery from Cairo University. She was the General Secretary of the Yemeni Higher Council of Motherhood and Childhood (HCMC) for thirteen years and has worked extensively with international organizations and partnership projects. She took lead of designing and implementing many Yemeni government national strategies such as safe motherhood, children and Youth development, early childhood development, school health and preparing basic and secondary education, anti-corruption, human rights. She was also instrumental in lobbying for the amending of many
legislations on mothers and children in Yemen. Her expertise includes child and women’s rights, development and public health management, policy, decision making and strategic management. She has been a consultant with the WHO and UNICEF in the fields of Child Health and Child Protection. She had managed Mother & Newborn Voucher Program in Yemen with the World Bank and Social Fund for Development as well as the director of child development World bank project. And was Chairperson of National Safe Motherhood Alliance (NSMA). Dr. Al-Jaifi received several international and national awards and recognitions such as Children Consultants Committee of Arab League ,the Gold Shield Award of HCMC, NSMA award for the efforts dedicated towards alleviating the suffering of mothers in Yemen in 2012, and a Presidential Award from the President of Yemen for her contributions to the National Strategy for Childhood and Youth in 2009 and was a member in the Board of Directors in the Arab Women’s Leadership Institute and a board member of the Global WRA for Safe Motherhood in Washington D.C. and member of the Women Peace Partnership since 2015.
Patricia Fernandez Ministry of Health, Argentina Dr Fernandez is a neonatologist from Buenos Aires University (UBA), who graduated in 1990 who has a Master of Social Epidemiology, Health Policy and Management . Dr Fernandez has worked in the Argentina Ministry of Health, Maternal and Children Department: as Neonatology leader, Preterm New Born Follow up Program, and in the Buenos Aires British Hospital:
NICU and follow up program leader, University Buenos Aires Hospital. Dr Fernandez is also a Coordinator Subcommittee High Risk Newborn, 2006-2008, Member of High Risk Network Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Qi Feng Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
Dr Feng, is Pediatrician, Neonatologist. Chief physician, Professor, Speciality: Neonatal intensive care medicine. Dr Feng is Editor-in-chief, Chinese Journal of Neonatology, Member of editorial board: Chinese Journal of Perinatal Medicine, Clinical Pediatric Journal. Dr Feng is Member of Neonatal Life Support group, The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR). Chinese Medical Doctor Association (CMDA): member of the committee of Neonatologist, Chinese Medical Association (CMA): Member of The Committee of enteral and parenteral nutrition, Pediatric division; and a member of the Perinatal medicine society, Neonatal resuscitation group.
Reinhard Klinkott Klinikum Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
Dr Klinkott works as a senior physician at the child and adolescent health department of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen medical center in Germany. He is a paediatrician specialised in neonatology and intensive care medicine. He studied at the University of Heidelberg and Wuerzburg, both in Germany, and worked abroad in the United Kingdom, Darfur/Sudan and Tansania. He was actively involved as board member of various organizations in the field of international and global health and is chairman of the Forum for International Health.
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Rhonda Marriot Murdoch University, Perth, Australia Born in Derby, Western Australia, Prof Marriott is matrilineally descended from Nyikina people of the Kimberley and patrilineally, is Scottish and Irish. As Murdoch University’s inaugural Director of the Ngangk Yira Research Centre for Aboriginal Health and Social Equity, Prof Marriott has 30+ years academic experience, 50+ years in the nursing profession and 30+ years in midwifery. She brings strong cultural and scientific leadership to the Ngangk Yira Research Centre’s translation of maternal, early childhood and youth research outcomes into policy and practice with a focus on “Strengthening Aboriginal family futures through transformational research”. She has developed long-lasting, meaningful partnerships with Elders and members of the Noongar community in Perth (Whadjuk Boodjar) who are community partners in Ngangk Yira’s research and the co-led community translation of research findings. Her research interests and expertise include culturally inclusive maternal and infant clinical best practice, incorporation of social and emotional wellbeing concepts into models of health care, Aboriginal maternal and early childhood, cultural competence, and capacity building the Indigenous health workforce. Prof Marriott was awarded as a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia (General Division) in recognition of her significant service to tertiary education, to Indigenous health, and to nursing in the June 2020 Queens Birthday Honours List. Prof Marriott stepped down from her inaugural Pro Vice Chancellor, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership role at Murdoch University to spend more time with family and to focus on the Ngangk Yira Research Centre
Rizwan Ullah Hassan Ministry of Public Health, RMNCAHD, Kabul, Afghanistan
Dr Hassan is an Afghan physician with a medical degree from the Dawat Medical University, post-graduation Diploma in Child Health (DCH) from Peshawar university and Masters of Public Health (MPH) from Abasyn University of Pakistan. He is serving as senior newborn care technical advisor with RMNCAH directorate at the MoPH Afghanistan since Jan 2016. The scope of this position is leading and managing the newborn care related programs at national and subnational levels. Dr Hassan has been working in the field of, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health management with Government, Private sector, National and International Organizations in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He has more than 20 years’ experience in the public and curative health. He has also experience in development of strategies, policy, technical guidelines and protocols especially in the newborn care. He reviewed, revised and updated RMNCAH Program interventions/ activities and an active contributor for addressing and inclusion of cost effective, culturally appropriate and high impact interventions in the health system. He is an active member of technical committee for development of minimum initial service package (MISP) ,Integrated Essential Health Package (IEPHS) ,KMC, community based newborn care, MNH, Child and Adolescents Health, RMNCAH in Emergency, PAC, SRHR and Capacity building working groups at national level. He has worked in different positions, including pediatrician, Master Trainer, field supervisor, technical advisor, deputy project manager, hospital advisor and, technical coordinator since 2000
Shabina Ariff Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
Dr Ariff is clinician scientist and currently working as Assistant Professor at the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University (AKU), Karachi, Pakistan. She completed her fellowship in Neonatology in 2005 and since then in addition to working at AKU, she received training in Neonatology at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Australia. She has held several administrative positions, including Leading Physician, Chair of various committees including, Infection Control, and Pharmacy and as a Quality Representative for the department and Director of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). She has held the position of Director of MNCH Outreach Undergraduate Program and Hospital Pediatric programs in the department. Dr. Ariff has rich and diverse experience in education, clinical service and research. Her areas of interest in research include maternal, neonatal and child health with emphasis on maternal, newborn health and nutrition. She has considerable experience of developing and implementing epidemiological and interventions trials on maternal and newborn health. She has extensive experience in working with leading research organizations like WHO, BMGF, IAEA, University of Oxford and University of Sydney and Swiss Red Cross. She has a number of awards and scholarships to her credit and also has many publications in national and international journals. Her academic bibliography comprises of 25 publications. All publications were in high-impact
international journals including Lancet and BMC series. Over the last decade she has received research support from more than 12 international grants; of which she was the principal investigator in more than half.
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Silke Mader European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants, Munich, Germany
Silke Mader has been a passionate and influential advocate for maternal and newborn health for over 20 years. As a former patient with HELLP syndrome and mother of preterm babies at week 25 (twin boy survived at 515 grams, twin girl deceased), she built on all of her personal experience to improve care for parents, preterm babies and sick newborns. Care that hardly existed at the time. She knows from her own experience that a strong partnership between health professionals and parents is the best way to face the emotional roller coaster ride of a preterm or sick baby and to overcome the obstacles. This led to establishing EFCNI – European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants in Munich 2008 where she acts as Chairwoman and founding member. One of the major achievements of the foundation was the establishment of World Prematurity Day, the development as well as the implementation of The European Standards of Care for Newborn Health and the founding of the Global Alliance for Newborn Care (GLANCE). In times of the pandemic, GLANCE joined forces with partnering parent organisations, healthcare professionals and medical societies all over the world to develop its first global campaign “Zero Separation. Together for better care! Keep preterm and sick babies close to their parents”. Silke Mader is author and editor of many publications on topics related to maternal and newborn health and received several national and international awards and medals for her engagement.
Socorro De Leon- Mendoza
Kangaroo Mother Care Foundation, Manila, Philippines
Dr Socorro De Leon-Mendoza is a practicing Neonatologist and General Pediatrician in the Philippines for over three (3) decades. She is a Fellow of the Philippine Pediatric Society and the Philippine Society of Newborn Medicine. Currently the Chairperson and President of the Kangaroo Mother Care Foundation Philippines, Inc. (2008), and lead convener of the Asia- Oceania KMC network (2018), she is also the Immediate Past President of the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies (FAOPS). After completing a 10-year stint as Asst. Professor-C of Pediatrics in her Alma Mater (Far Eastern University – Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation Institute of Medicine), she continued to focus her efforts on clinical training & education of doctors, nurses & midwives in the field of newborn care and research, in particular on preterm and small babies. To date, she has effectively delivered 161 conference lectures, and conducted over 50 workshops both locally and internationally. Her expertise in organizational development & management brought her to the helm of professional organizations such as the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies (FAOPS), the Perinatal Association of the Philippines, the Philippine Society of Newborn Medicine, and served the Board of the Institute for Reproductive Health Philippines, Inc. Her experience in the field of clinical research and formulation of policies on newborn care has been recognized by institutions and professional
organizations, i.e. the Philippine Pediatric Society and the Philippine Society of Newborn Medicine, for which she still serves as an active member of their research committees. To date, she has 20 published papers, 11 podium presentations and with 6 more in the pipeline for publication. Concomitantly, she has served as member of the Board of Judges in several research and poster competitions and is currently a member of the Advisory Board (Editorial Board) and a manuscript peer reviewer in the Perinatal Journal of the Perinatal Medicine Foundation (Turkey). Dr. Mendoza was a recipient of scholarship grants notably, from the Colombian Fundacion Canguro for Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) and two from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in the field of 1) neonatal and infant screening and 2)HIV-AIDS. With the KMC Foundation, Dr. “Sookee” works closely with development partners in the Philippines (WHO, UNICEF, Save The Children and USAID/MCHIP) on projects that propel the accelerated national adoption of KMC as standard of care for small babies. Accordingly, she has received nine citations for her pioneering & continuing work on KMC, notably the Most Outstanding Pediatrician for 2020, conferred by the Philippine Pediatric Society and Most Outstanding Physician for her contribution to modern Medicine, by the Philippine Medical Association in 2019.
Sushma Nangia Lady Hardinge Medical College &
Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital, New Delhi, India
Dr Sushma Nangia, is currently heading the Department of Neonatology at Lady Hardinge Medical College and associated Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital which is among the largest children’s hospitals in Northern India. She completed her Doctorate in Medicine (DM) in Neonatology from AIIMS, New Delhi in 2007 and has over thirty years ‘of experience in managing both pediatric and neonatal cases including small and sick neonates. Her special areas of interest include Neonatal
resuscitation, Breastfeeding, Early total enteral nutrition among very low birth weight infants, promoting intake of mother’s own milk in NICU in addition to judicious use of antibiotics and blood products along with non –invasive respiratory support.
She is a researcher par excellence with many in journals of both national and international repute. One of the biggest studies on routine endotracheal intubation in non-vigorous meconium-stained infants, which contributed to change in the delivery room management of neonates born through meconium stained amniotic fluid, has been conducted by her.
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She has been actively involved in training and mentoring doctors and staff nurses across India and those from SAARC countries in IMNCI and Facility Based Newborn Care (FBNC). She is member of technical expert group for Maternal and Child health division of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India and has actively participated in framing national guidelines for the country on Facility based newborn care (FBNC), Navjaat Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (NSSK), Newborn Stabilization units (NBSU) and guidelines on comprehensive lactation management centers (CLMC) and human milk banking in India. She is also the convener of National Collaborative Centre for Facility Based Newborn Care for Government of India, wherein doctors and nurses working in district and sub-district hospitals are trained in managing small and sick babies.
Victoria Nakibuuka Kirabira
Nsambya Hospital, Entebbe, Uganda Dr Kirabira is a paediatricain by training with experience of 14 years with subspecialization in neonatology which Dr Kirabira has practiced for the last 6 years in a tertiary hospital in Uganda. Dr Kirabira's professional interests lie in improving quality of lives of newborn particularly in health the facilities in all areas of Uganda . Dr Kirabira has spear headed in the setting up of the first neonatal Intensive care unit in Uganda at Nsambya Hospital and new born units in the country . Dr Kirabira has spear headed in setting up the first Human milk Bank in Uganda. Areas of interest include; improving preterm outcomes, nutrition among the preterms, asphyxia and neonatal infections. Dr Kirabira has conducted implementation Research to improve the quality of life of newborns. Other aptitude include: clinical protocol /guideline curriculum and training material development, and preservice training for different health cadres (Neonatal fellows and Nurses, Post graduates, Midwives, intern doctors,)
Vinod Paul (Chair) All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Dehli, India
Dr Paul is a full time Member in NITI Aayog (National Institute of Transforming India). Dr Paul has been a member of the faculty at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi for over three decades and head of the Department of Paediatrics for several years. Apart from being an eminent neonatologist, Dr Paul has contributed to India’s national programmes including reproductive and child health; and nutrition. He is also a member of the Steering Committee of global Every Newborn Action Plan. He has chaired academic and selection committees of AIIMS, Raipur; chaired Technical Resources Group on Child Health, MoHFW, and co-chaired Himachal Pradesh State Commission on Health. Dr Paul is a visiting professor at the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). He holds positions in multiple international fora on child health, has been a co-chair of the Board of the Global Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and a member of the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Child Health and Maternal Health. A well-known researcher and public health exponent, Dr Paul has over 350 publications to his credit and is a recipient of the prestigious Dr B R Ambedkar Centenary Award for excellence in Biomedical Research by ICMR and Public Health Champions Award by WHO.
Zelee Hill University College London, London, Uinted Kingdom
Dr Hill's research spans several areas of maternal, child and neonatal health including early child development, quality improvement, understanding and improving the performance of community health workers, and community newborn care. At its core her research has focused on interventions that can be implemented in real life settings, that explore cutting edge issues and that have direct policy implications. She has a grounding in both qualitative and quantitative methods, and a sound theoretical knowledge of behaviour change theories, as well as practical experience of what it takes to get an intervention off the ground. She has significant experience working in Africa (Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, ), Latin America (Brazil, Peru), and Asia (India, Pakistan, Vietnam).
