Neotree - transforming newborn care

Improving newborn care in low resource settings

Neotree exists to eradicate preventable newborn mortality, and began with support from UCL Grand Challenges when Prof Michelle Heys and Prof Patty Kostkova were developing an early prototype for improving newborn care in low-resource settings. Today, Neotree has been used to care for more than 38,000 babies and 1,200 clinicians, combining digital technology, clinical expertise and data to support healthcare workers in delivering evidence-based care. The project has already demonstrated significant impact, including a 10% overall reduction in deaths among admitted babies in its evaluation, while reducing unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions from 97% to 3% at discharge in one setting.

Using footage gathered by the Neotree team over the years, and new interviews with Prof Michelle Heys, Dr Msandeni Esther Chiume, Principle Investigator in Malawi at Kamzu Central Hospital, and Dr Simba Chimhuya, Principal Investigator in Zimbabwe at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital, the video explores interdisciplinary and international collaboration, the impact of the use of Neotree in their settings, and the potential to transform newborn care at scale.

UCL Grand Challenges tackles complex global, national and local issues through interdisciplinary research and collaboration - I created four case study films to celebrate 15 years of the initiative in 2024.