At IMNHC 2023, we will share our learnings and commitment to health equity through our whole of society, whole health, and people-centered approach that integrates maternal, newborn, child health, nutrition and development, and primary health care services.
During concurrent sessions, presentations, and at the Technical Marketplace, we will highlight our work developing, introducing, and scaling sustainable solutions and technologies, and supporting local partners and governments to build and implement evidence-based policies, plans, and strategies that safeguard maternal, newborn, and child health care.
Below is our full schedule of events, presentations, and Technical Marketplace presence at IMNHC.
- Tuesday, May 9
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BARRIERS AND ENABLERS TOWARD ACHIEVING EFFECTIVE COVERAGE OF FEEDING THE SMALL AND SICK NEWBORN IN LOW-AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES
Presenter: Kimberly Mansen
Description: The ways in which small and sick newborns (SSN) are fed and supported to receive human milk is not well understood. To inform future implementation strategies, the Asset Tracker project sought to identify current coverage, and understand barriers and enablers to scale across fourteen maternal, newborn, and child health interventions, including feeding of SSN. We will share available data and the current gaps related to newborn nutrition and investments that are needed to shift feeding of the SSN to the center of improving quality of care.
Session type: Oral presentation – within “Measuring quality of care and effective coverage for newborn health: progress and gaps” session
Time: 11:00 – 12:15
Location: Room 1.63-1.64
- Wednesday, May 10 - Presentations
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ENSURING SMALL AND SICK NEWBORNS RECEIVE HUMAN MILK IN THE FIRST DAYS OF LIFE: BRIDGING THE NEWBORN-NUTRITION DIVIDE TO STRENGTHEN NEONATAL CARE
Moderator: Kiersten Israel-Ballard (PATH Team Lead – Integrated Maternal and Child Health and Development)
Panelists: Larry Grummer-Strawn (WHO, Nutrition); Caroline Mwangi (Kenya, MOH); Emily Njuguna (PATH Africa Regional Maternal and Newborn Advisor; former Head of Department Pediatrics, Pumwani); Rochelle Peterson (local mother)
Description: Provision of mothers’ own milk for admitted neonates, especially in the first critical days of life, is a challenge due to mother-infant separation, maternal stress, delayed lactation, infant developmental delays, and systems level barriers. Mothers of SSN face unique challenges; specialized and targeted care is required to ensure mothers’ milk is prioritized for her neonate. This roundtable discussion will amplify the voice and experience of a mother, a clinician, Ministry of Health perspective, and global policy leader vision on prioritization of specialized lactation and human milk feeding as a core component in caring for the SSN.
Session type: Knowledge Cafe’ Roundtable Discussion
Time: 10:45 – 11:30
Location: Nerina
SUB-NATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY TO MAKE MNH EQUITABLE AND PEOPLE-CENTERED: CASE STUDIES FROM KENYA, NIGERIA, AND PAKISTAN
Presenter: Esther Nasikye
Description: What does accountability have to do with accelerating reproductive, maternal, and newborn health outcomes? Everything! This session highlights the power of community-led accountability in strengthening policies, investments, and services at the point of care. Learn from leading advocates about accountability approaches, mechanisms, and secrets to success and leave with new tools to apply in your context.
Session type: Knowledge Café
Time: 15:15 – 16:15
Location: Auditorium 2
- Wednesday, May 10 - Technical Marketplace - 15:15 - 17:35
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A VERY LOW-COST, NON-ELECTRIC BUBBLE CPAP DEVICE INCLUDING OXYGEN BLENDERS FOR SMALL AND SICK NEWBORNS WITH RESPIRATORY DISTRESS
Presenter: Patricia Coffey
Description: This PATH device reduces the risk of blindness to newborns by providing a stable and reliable source of blended gas. We piloted our novel bCPAP and blenders device at Kiwoko Hospital—a community-based, 204-bed hospital in rural, central Uganda. Based on the favorable results from this evaluation and a device price point expected below US$40, we anticipate high demand for this product in small and sick newborn care units in other district hospitals in Uganda, and elsewhere in Africa.
Session type: Technical Marketplace
Location: Table 25
THE NEOLENS VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE: AN IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL REALITY EXPERIENCE INTO CARE FOR THE SMALL AND SICK NEWBORN IN MALAWI, INDIA, ETHIOPIA, AND RWANDA
Presenter: Kimberly Mansen
Description: PATH’s neoLENS case studies from Ethiopia, India, Malawi, and Rwanda describe approaches to establishing and strengthening inpatient newborn care. With MASS Design, we developed a virtual experience to immerse viewers into the realities of LMIC inpatient newborn care through interactive media to highlight experiences, innovations, and vision for scale.
Session type: Technical Marketplace
Location: Table 27
INTEGRATED HUMAN MILK BANKING: ENSURING EXCLUSIVE HUMAN MILK DIETS FOR SMALL AND SICK NEWBORNS
Presenter: Kiersten Israel-Ballard
Description: PATH will showcase LMIC-appropriate models for establishing and integrating comprehensive systems to ensure exclusive human milk diets for SSN. We will share resources and experiences demonstrating feasibility of LMIC-appropriate HMBs for safe provision of donor human milk and specialized lactation support for prioritizing mothers’ own milk as a key strategy for reducing neonatal deaths.
Session type: Technical Marketplace
Location: Table 28
UTILIZING HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN TO DEVELOP A NEWBORN NUTRITION DIGITAL ADAPTATION KIT
Presenter: Emily Njuguna
Description: The Newborn Nutrition Digital Adaptation Kit (NNDAK) provides a first-of-its-kind, human-centered designed application that captures data entry for newborn feeding and maternal lactation indicators and explores improvements through a summary dashboard highlighting the mother-infant dyad. Improved data systems for inpatient newborn care can facilitate improved feeding through early access of human milk, identifying lactation support that may be needed for optimal human milk provision, as well as assessing growth for ensuring optimal nutrition interventions throughout inpatient stay. This Marketplace will serve as an interactive, hands-on opportunity to practice data capture and dashboard review for real-time decision-making to improve maternal lactation and newborn growth and nutrition.
Session type: Technical Marketplace
Location: Table 29
THE RELI DELIVERY SYSTEM: A HYBRID PNEUMATIC-ELECTRIC SYRINGE INFUSION PUMP THAT PROVIDES INFUSIONS IN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES WITH UNRELIABLE ELECTRICITY
Presenter: Patricia Coffey, Mutsumi Metzler
Description: The RELI Delivery System is a hybrid pneumatic-electric, low-cost syringe infusion pump that is appropriate for treating pediatric and obstetric emergencies in LMICs. This device, which has been designed with input from users in Uganda, Rwanda and Zambia, addresses a unique need within the syringe infusion pump market. The RELI Delivery System has a simple user interface that is easy to learn, use, and understand. The use of compressed air to drive the syringe reduces power consumption, extending battery life, and making it dependable in settings with unreliable power. The robust design is inexpensive to maintain and does not require expensive or proprietary consumables to operate.
Session type: Technical Marketplace
Location: Table 35
- Thursday, May 11
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EVALUATING READINESS FOR HUMAN MILK BANKING AND USE OF DONOR HUMAN MILK FOR ACHIEVING EXCLUSIVE HUMAN MILK DIETS FOR LOW BIRTHWEIGHT INFANTS
Presenter: Kimberly Mansen
Description: Donor human milk (DHM) from a human milk bank (HMB) is recommended by WHO when a mother’s own milk is unavailable, yet evidence and implementation strategies for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are lacking. The Low Birthweight Infant Feeding Exploration (LIFE) Study aimed to understand feeding of low birthweight infants in LMICs. We are presenting findings from DHM readiness assessments at hospitals in India, Malawi, and Tanzania to determine implementation readiness and feasibility of HMB integration and/or use of DHM for low birthweight infants as a health system intervention.
Session type: Oral presentation – within Supporting Optimal Nutrition for Small and Sick Newborns session
Time: 9:10 – 10:25
Location: Room 2.64-2.66
ESTABLISHING AN INTEGRATED HUMAN MILK BANKING MODEL FOR FEEDING PRETERM, SMALL, AND SICK NEWBORNS: THE KENYA EXPERIENCE
Presenter: Emily Njuguna
Description: The Kenya Ministry of Health sought PATH’s technical assistance to pilot the Mother Baby Friendly Initiative Plus (MBFI+) integrated human milk banking model with the objective of developing an LMIC-appropriate model for providing DHM and enhanced lactation support to improve exclusive human milk diets for SSN and reduce neonatal mortality. We will share the experience from Kenya to demonstrate that integrated models, such as MBFI+, are feasible in LMIC settings and expansion is needed as a core strategy to ensure SSN survive and thrive.
Session type: Oral presentation - within Supporting Optimal Nutrition for Small and Sick Newborns session
Time: 9:10 – 10:25
Location: Room 2.64-2.66
WHEN NUMBERS TALK: HOW AND WHY HARNESSING DATA AND VOICES MATTERS TO IMPROVE MATERNAL AND NEWBORN HEALTH
Presenter: Mariana Becerra
Description: We can only align, accelerate, and save lives together when maternal and newborn health is afforded the highest political priority. To get here, convincing minds and hearts is key. This often requires leveraging technical evidence and the perspectives of people who need/use maternal and newborn services. This panel features examples, lessons learned, and tools for effectively marrying data with voices to support any advocacy and communication effort.
Session type: Satellite session workshop
Time: 15:15-16:00
Location: Room 2.61-2.63
More information about what we're sharing and where we're located at the Technical Marketplace.
Scan the QR code below or access PATH's maternal and newborn health innovations resources here.
