Forum follows implementation visits to SW China newborn screening project sites
The Newborn Foundation, an international nonprofit leveraging medical technologies to improve access and health for newborns, presented at the 5th Shanghai Neonatal Forum on April 11, 2015. Jointly organized by Children’s Hospital of Fudan University and the Key Laboratory of Neonatal Diseases of the Health Ministry (China), Chinese Neonatal Network (China), Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University (China), University of Gothenburg (Sweden) and Canadian Neonatal Network (Canada), the forum gathered an international group of more than 700 clinicians, leaders and esteemed scientists from North America, Europe, Asia and China.
A substantial portion of the program was dedicated to early detection and diagnosis of neonatal health conditions, particularly those that may have a profound impact on neurological health and outcomes. The Newborn Foundation shared its work in newborn screening and early detection of congenital heart defects and other hypoxemia-release health conditions in newborns. This included a report on progress of the BORN Project, a rural newborn pulse oximetry screening project being implemented in collaboration with Mianyang Central Hospital in Sichuan Province. The project is screening more than 50,000 newborns and is the first of its kind to utilize technology geared for lower-resource, more remote delivery settings.
“Early detection is vital to reducing poor health outcomes and newborn mortality,” said Balaji Govindswami, MD, Newborn Foundation advisor and Chief of Newborn Medicine and Director of the NICU at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. “The implementation of point-of-care newborn screening and monitoring for hypoxemia among facilities in China has already been shown to support better, more timely follow-up and care for babies.”
The Neonatal Forum served as a follow-up to more than two years of collaboration with the Children’s Hospital of Fudan University, including co-convening the 2nd Summit on Newborn Screening and Early Detection of CHD in September 2014. The inaugural China Summit on Newborn Screening and Early Detection of CHD was held in Beijing in 2013, convened by the Newborn Foundation and the Chinese National Office for Maternal and Child Health Surveillance. The 2013 summit kicked off a phased pilot project to explore early detection and treatment capacity building for pediatric heart disease in China, connecting care for remote and underserved areas. Ministry of Health representatives from 31 Chinese provinces participated in the event.
About Children’s Hospital of Fudan University Founded in 1952, Children’s Hospital of Fudan University is a major pediatric medical center in China and Asia, serving as an educational center on pediatric medicine with national influence, and a bridge of academic exchange abroad. The hospital is the Residency Training Base for pediatricians and pediatric surgery with more than 6800 pediatricians around the country trained in the hospital. With a strong scientific research capability, the hospital has undertaken 325 research projects over the past decade and won 19 national and provincial Awards of Science and Technology Progress.
About the Newborn Foundation The Newborn Foundation is a domestic and international non-profit leveraging health technologies to improve access and outcomes while reducing disparities for newborns. The organization has been integral in the policy development, adoption and implementation of technologies for early detection, intervention and care of the youngest patients.
Additional photos available upon request.
Forum follows implementation visits to SW China newborn screening project sites
The Newborn Foundation, an international nonprofit leveraging medical technologies to improve access and health for newborns, presented at the 5th Shanghai Neonatal Forum on April 11, 2015. Jointly organized by Children’s Hospital of Fudan University and the Key Laboratory of Neonatal Diseases of the Health Ministry (China), Chinese Neonatal Network (China), Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University (China), University of Gothenburg (Sweden) and Canadian Neonatal Network (Canada), the forum gathered an international group of more than 700 clinicians, leaders and esteemed scientists from North America, Europe, Asia and China.
A substantial portion of the program was dedicated to early detection and diagnosis of neonatal health conditions, particularly those that may have a profound impact on neurological health and outcomes. The Newborn Foundation shared its work in newborn screening and early detection of congenital heart defects and other hypoxemia-release health conditions in newborns. This included a report on progress of the BORN Project, a rural newborn pulse oximetry screening project being implemented in collaboration with Mianyang Central Hospital in Sichuan Province. The project is screening more than 50,000 newborns and is the first of its kind to utilize technology geared for lower-resource, more remote delivery settings.
“Early detection is vital to reducing poor health outcomes and newborn mortality,” said Balaji Govindswami, MD, Newborn Foundation advisor and Chief of Newborn Medicine and Director of the NICU at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. “The implementation of point-of-care newborn screening and monitoring for hypoxemia among facilities in China has already been shown to support better, more timely follow-up and care for babies.”
The Neonatal Forum served as a follow-up to more than two years of collaboration with the Children’s Hospital of Fudan University, including co-convening the 2nd Summit on Newborn Screening and Early Detection of CHD in September 2014. The inaugural China Summit on Newborn Screening and Early Detection of CHD was held in Beijing in 2013, convened by the Newborn Foundation and the Chinese National Office for Maternal and Child Health Surveillance. The 2013 summit kicked off a phased pilot project to explore early detection and treatment capacity building for pediatric heart disease in China, connecting care for remote and underserved areas. Ministry of Health representatives from 31 Chinese provinces participated in the event.
About Children’s Hospital of Fudan University Founded in 1952, Children’s Hospital of Fudan University is a major pediatric medical center in China and Asia, serving as an educational center on pediatric medicine with national influence, and a bridge of academic exchange abroad. The hospital is the Residency Training Base for pediatricians and pediatric surgery with more than 6800 pediatricians around the country trained in the hospital. With a strong scientific research capability, the hospital has undertaken 325 research projects over the past decade and won 19 national and provincial Awards of Science and Technology Progress.
About the Newborn Foundation The Newborn Foundation is a domestic and international non-profit leveraging health technologies to improve access and outcomes while reducing disparities for newborns. The organization has been integral in the policy development, adoption and implementation of technologies for early detection, intervention and care of the youngest patients.
Additional photos available upon request.