Maternal & Newborn Child Health Research Cooperative

The Global Maternal and Newborn Child Health Research Cooperative, under the direction of Dilys Walker, MD, is dedicated to improving facility-based care for mothers and newborns in developing countries. With a growing portfolio of projects and partners at UCSF and around the globe, the Cooperative is building a collaborative team to better leverage, encourage and support the researchers and clinicians across UCSF.

From creating and implementing new techniques in provider training and facility quality improvement to making investments in discovery of new tools and technologies, our team works to advance care that will save the lives of mothers and babies in low and middle-income countries. Our approach is grounded in local community ownership to build capacity and ensure sustainability.

Projects

• Tiny Hats for Tiny Babies™, a global campaign to raise awareness about neonatal mortality and to provide handmade hats to newborns in countries where resources are low and need is high.
• East Africa Preterm Birth Initiative: a multi-year research partnership aimed at decreasing the burden of preterm birth and improving quality of care for all babies and mothers.
• Strengthening People-centered Accessibility, Respect and Quality (SPARQ) aims to improve the quality of people-centered care for maternal health and reproductive services in India and Kenya.
• Bihar, India Quality of Care Collaboration

Our People

• Dilys Walker, MD
• Dominic Montagu, DrPH
• Patience Afulani, PhD, MD, MPH
• Elizabeth Butrick, MPH, MSW
• Sun Cotter, MPH
• Nadia Diamond-Smith, PhD, MS
• Katie Giessler, MPH
• Alisa Jenny, MPH
• Tiffany Lundeen, CNM, MSN, MA
• Solange Madriz, MS, MA
• Lara Miller, MS
• Hannah Park
• Beth Phillips, MPH
• Nicole Santos, PhD, MS
• Avery Seefeld
• Hilary Spindler, MPH
• Mona Sterling
• May Sudhinaraset, PhD