Maternal, Newborn, and Adolescent Health

A 2012 UN study showed 25% of birth facilities had access to infant resuscitation equipment; 11% had attendants capable of using it. India’s Windmill Health Technologies has created a novel integrated resuscitation solution, reduces air leakage, creates more consistent air pressure and volume, lessening injuries and improving survival. Easy-to-use, newborn resuscitation solution to empower front-line health workers to resuscitate newborns effectively.To reduce death & disability from Birth Asphyxia - often caused by birth attendants' inability to use current devices effectively.

Reducing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS will be the main objective of the project. For HIV-infected mothers, formula feeding is recommended due to the risk of HIV-transmission through breast-feeding. Formula feeding presents certain difficulties in low-resource settings such as Sub-Saharan Africa. In these areas, flash heat-treatment of breast-milk could be one of the potential feeding alternatives to stop postnatal transmission of HIV. Mothers can implement the method using simple equipment over an outdoor fire or in the kitchen.

Bempu is developing a novel neonatal temperature monitoring device that continuously measures the infant’s temperature and uses intuitive alarms to alert a mother to warm her child, when needed. The device aims to drastically and cost-effectively reduce the rates of neonatal hypothermia and severe infection.

Hypothermia is a major problem faced by over 20 million low-birthweight and premature babies born worldwide each year, mostly in developing countries where access to incubators is limited. To replace current local solutions (hot water bottles, hot coals, light bulbs), a portable, low-cost warmer created by this project works without electricity and is intended for use in rural homes. The goal is to deploy this technology through government health workers. For more information visit www.embraceinnovations.com"

AYZH aims to be the leading global provider of life saving and changing solutions for women. With our for-profit approach and ""for women by women"philosophy, we identify women's needs, then design, deliver, and scale affordable technologies like JANMA birth kit to meet those needs, increase income, and improve health. Follow Ayzh on Twitter @AyzhInc"

Work by Twezimbe Development Association has found that stories told by mothers in their own words and reflecting shared realities are most likely to increase the number of moms seeking skilled health care, and convince policymakers to improve healthcare access. This project will capture 3 to 5 minutes stories to be shared through digital media platforms and health clinics.

Community health programs could be the most important global health intervention, and many such programs are using mobile technology (mHealth) to improve health services access and quality. Adopting mHealth can be challenging and costly for programs in developing countries. Having experience with over 300 mobile technology projects around the world, Dimagi aims to sustainably scale health programs using open-source mobile technology in West Africa.

Access Afya is implementing a Healthy Schools program in schools in a slum in Nairobi, Kenya. The program aims to improve health of children and teachers. The Healthy Schools program will create a new model for improved health outcomes, using schools as a space to provide clean water, sanitation, nutrition and primary health care. The Healthy Schools program aims to create a sustainable model for engaging schools in health and wellness. The Healthy Schools team will learn about environmental and other factors that contribute to health status for children in slums.

In the Philippines, where between 55 and 73 per cent of babies born in 2011 were delivered at home, maternal and infant mortality rates remain high.  Mothers die from hemorrhage, sepsis, obstructed labour, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, and complications of unsafe abortion.  A mobile phone app developed by this project will use ultrasound results to help identify pregnant women at risk in labour and will relay information to an appropriate health provider. For more information visit dce.upm.edu.ph/clinical-epidemiology/"

We will develop an mHealth application in sub-Saharan Africa that uses geographic mapping methods to create an integrated maternal health risk in the context of local social and physical environments. It can save the lives of women and babies. Follow Mapping Outcomes for Mothers - UBC on Twitter @MOM_UBC"