The symposium was organised by D-Rev in partnership with Rwanda Pediatrics Association Ministry of Health of Rwanda on March 29,2019

gathering 114 policy makers, 52 medical doctors, 25 experts across Africa, 9 countries represented during one day of collaboration, learning and action at Kigali Convention Center( KCC).

Newborn healthcare in East Africa is changing rapidly. Access to new technologies, adoption of more effective training, and progress in healthcare policy have helped to set the stage for unprecedented advances in care. With a focus on design solutions through empirical studies, D-Rev, Rwanda Pediatric Association, and Rwanda Ministry of Health have partnered to convene leading neonatal practitioners, health policymakers, and innovators with the goal of improving newborn health outcomes in the region.

The symposium brought together world-class healthcare experts with an emphasis on the neonatal health ecosystem in East Africa. Lead stakeholders will share lessons learned, recognize proven solutions, and promote future partnerships to strengthen the network of practitioners committed to raising awareness, promoting standards of care, and eliminating barriers to effective care in newborn health. With an emphasis on innovation and impact, the symposium objectives were: 1. Promote human-centered design in medical devices and health systems in maternal, newborn, and child health 2. Share the results and key learnings of the 2018 phototherapy study in Rwanda conducted by Ketki Sheth, PhD (University of California, Merced, USA), in partnership with the Rwanda Ministry of Health, the Rwanda Pediatric Association, and D-Rev 3. Discuss high-impact interventions that can address gaps in newborn health outcomes 4. Provide a call to action for more interdisciplinary studies and partnerships to strengthen newborn health in the region.