The Center's new Web site is now online: http://www.jhsph.edu/neonatal The International Center for Advancing Neonatal Health (ICANH) was established in 2005 to foster the development of innovative approaches to neonatal health that are integrated with programs and health systems in developing countries. Policies, programs, and resources for international child health have focused to date on older infants and young children, and effective interventions targeted towards major causes of childhood deaths have dramatically reduced infant (under one-year) and child (under-five) mortality in the developing world over the past three decades. However, these same interventions have had relatively little impact on neonatal (first 28 days) health and survival. Nearly 40% of all deaths in children under five occur in the neonatal period. Four million neonatal deaths occur annually worldwide; of those, 98% arise in developing countries and are due primarily to infections, birth asphyxia and consequences of prematurity. Mission
The mission of ICANH is to improve neonatal health and survival, and to foster partnerships with domestic and international research, program, policy, and funding institutions working in research, training and capacity building advocacy, and communication to increase the visibility of newborn health worldwide. A fresh approach is needed to reduce the burden of these early deaths in order to achieve Millennium Development Goal 4 for reducing childhood mortality by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. Research
ICANH research focus areas include: community-based interventions; neonatal infections; thermal care practices; skin-to-skin care; stillbirths; topical ointment therapy; vitamin A dosing; postpartum birth spacing; umbilical cord cleansing; verbal autopsy diagnoses; and risk factors for neurodevelopmental impairments. Projects are ongoing in Bangladesh, Bolivia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. In addition to coordinating research activities, ICANH is involved in training and capacity building across global sites, advocacy with international policy groups, and communication to increase the visibility of newborn health worldwide. ICANH also offers a variety of on-campus and online courses for those interested in international maternal, neonatal and child health issues. Global Health TV Feature
Watch the Global Health Council video, "Saksham Shivgarh: A Community Empowerment and Essential Newborn Care Program in Rural India." The video highlights the work of Hopkins faculty in Uttar Pradesh, India, to fight neonatal mortality through community-based interventions. It also features Dr. Vishwajeet Kumar from the Center, as well as Dr. Robert Black, chair of the Department of International Health where the Center is based.
Contacts Abdullah Baqui MBBS, MPH, DrPH
Phone: 410-955-3850 / Fax: 410-614-1419 Luke Mullany, MHS, PhD
Phone: 410-502-2626 / Fax: 410-614-1419 Related Links Saving Newborn Lives Initiative: Save the Children, USA
Lancet Neonatal Survival Series, Published March 2005
Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health
Watch the Global Health Council video, "Saksham Shivgarh: A Community Empowerment and Essential Newborn Care Program in Rural India."
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