The Incubator Global Neonatal Podcast

In this episode, Shelly-Ann sits down with Dr. Scott Guthrie to discuss his global health work, SALSA, and quality improvement. He shares how working alongside neonatal teams in different settings has shaped his approach to improving care, including what he has brought back to his own practice in Tennessee. From introducing SALSA in Azerbaijan to adapting lessons from a delayed cord clamping project in Ethiopia, Scott describes how learning moves in both directions between higher- and lower-resource settings. We also discuss the practical work of implementing change, training teams, and approaching global partnerships with humility and respect for local expertise.

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Resources:

Article: SALSA a viable option for Middle Income and Low Income Countries https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35372140/

Article: Implementation of Surfactant Administration through Laryngeal or Supraglottic Airways (SALSA): A Jordanian NICU’s Journey to Improve Surfactant Administration https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36010038/

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Connect with Dr. Scott Guthrie: drsgu3@gmail.com

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Link to episode on youtube: https://youtu.be/_riLsbA00JU

In this episode, Mbozu and Shelly-Ann sit down with Dr. Franck Houndjahoue to explore what it takes to strengthen newborn care in humanitarian and post-conflict settings. Drawing on nearly a decade of experience in the Central African Republic and other low-resource contexts, Dr. Houndjahoue shares how rebuilding newborn services requires far more than equipment: it depends on partnerships, training, data, and local leadership.

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Connect with Dr Franck Houndjahoue by email: fhoundja@yahoo.fr

In this episode, Mbozu and Shelly-Ann sit down with Isabelle Furaha, a Congolese-born mother living in Uganda, whose experience with prematurity and loss led her to create Mama Tulia Ministries. After losing a 26-week infant and later bringing home a daughter born at 33 weeks due to preeclampsia, Isabelle committed herself to supporting other mothers facing the same fear and uncertainty.

What began as simple hospital visits and prayer, grew into a community-based continuum of care, supporting vulnerable mothers and preterm infants after discharge. Isabelle shares how Mama Tulia evolved from one woman visiting NICUs, into an NGO providing home follow-up, temporary housing, nutrition support, ROP screening advocacy, family engagement, and mentorship for mothers across Uganda.

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Connect with Isabelle Furaha:

https://tally.so/r/jagBkQ

Mama Tulia Ministries

Mama Tulia | Kampala

https://www.instagram.com/mamatulia1/

Email: mamatuliaug@gmail.com

In this episode, Mbozu and Shelly-Ann sit down with Dr. Naana Wireko Brobby, a neonatologist leading national efforts to strengthen newborn care in Ghana. She shares a grounded view of daily life at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, where high patient volumes, resource constraints, and continuous teaching shape clinical work.

The conversation traces her journey into neonatology, then moves into system-level change: building a national retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) telemedicine program, introducing caffeine citrate for apnea of prematurity, and advancing kangaroo mother care (KMC). Throughout, she highlights practical lessons on leadership, collaboration, and starting before conditions are perfect.

Connect with Dr. Naana Ayiwa Wireko Brobby : Contact Form

In this episode, we explore a decade-long journey to transform newborn care in Ghana's Hohoe region, focusing on family systems of care, cross-cultural research collaborations, and innovative training approaches. In this episode we explore

•The healthcare landscape for small and sick newborns in Ghana's Volta region

•The concept and application of family systems care versus family-centered care

•Development and adaptation of practical tools like genograms and echo maps for local contexts

•Training healthcare providers in communication and relationship-building with families

•Case studies of integrating family involvement into neonatal care and outcomes

•The journey of collaborative research between colleagues

Resources mentioned in episode:

• Families' Perception of Cognitive and Emotional Support From Healthcare Professionals Across the Maternal and Newborn Care Continuum https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41546394/
• Family systems care approaches and methodologies for maternal, newborn and child health in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12529736/
• Experiences of families and health professionals along the care continuum for low-birth weight neonates: A constructivist grounded theory study https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jan.15566

Contact

George Edward Ntow LinkedIn

Christina Schuler LinkedIn

Jessica Honya-Tsiewu Linkedin

In this episode, Mbozu and Shelly-Ann sit down with Dr. Bharati Datta and Dr. Josel Doyle for a conversation that spans four decades and one very full circle moment. Over 40 years ago, Dr. Datta arrived in St. Vincent and the Grenadines from India as the only pediatrician on the island. One of the tiny preterm babies she cared for, weighing barely over a pound at discharge, grew up to become a neonatologist herself. That baby is Dr. Doyle.

Together we explore, Dr. Datta’s journey where she shares what it took to build neonatal care from almost nothing: from working with administration, to working with the mothers who became the original NICU staff, working towards the Eastern Caribbean's first Baby-Friendly Hospital designation, and the hard-won lessons about ownership, resourcefulness, and community that every clinician working in a low-resource setting needs to hear.

In this episode, Shelly-Ann and Mbozu sit down with a few members of the Parents Neonatal Intensive Care Charity affiliated with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados.

Heidi and Andrew Hutchinson, parents of a baby born at 30 weeks who is now a practicing lawyer, share how they transitioned from frightened NICU parents to decades-long advocates. June Walton and Cheryl Walrond, retired NICU nurses, describe building the first parent education sessions and the culture of care that followed.

What began as a Thursday evening Q&A between overwhelmed parents and NICU nurses in the early 1990s grew into a registered charity that funded system improvements over time. These included refurbishing every incubator in the unit, securing surfactant in the early days before it was on national drug formulary, purchasing a portable X-Ray machine among many other initiatives.

Dr. Naiza Ngowo Monono, the sole pediatrician at Limbe Regional Hospital in Cameroon for nearly a decade, shares how she reduced neonatal mortality to 16 per 1,000—well below the national average. Key interventions included implementing hygiene protocols, training staff on danger sign recognition and neonatal resuscitation, task-shifting responsibilities to nurses and general practitioners, scaling Kangaroo Mother Care, and partnering with UNICEF to train referral hospitals for earlier identification and transfer. Dr. Ngowo Monono emphasizes starting with available resources, building team capacity through mentorship, and maintaining discipline in planning. She advocates for multidisciplinary post-discharge follow-up and improved respiratory care as next priorities for advancing newborn outcomes.

Join hosts Shelly-Ann Dakarai and Mbozu Sipalo as they celebrate two incredible years of the Global Neonatal Podcast! Dive into their journey of global connections, where starting small, embracing teamwork, and learning from diverse neonatal health heroes have been key. A heartfelt thank you to our amazing listeners—your support fuels our passion! We're excited to continue this journey and bring you more inspiring stories from neonatal change makers in 2026.

In this episode, Mbozu and Shelly-Ann are joined by Jean Musonda-Chintende, a critical care nurse and national trainer in advanced newborn care with the Ministry of Health in Zambia. Jean shares her decade-long journey in neonatal intensive care and her leadership in building and mentoring neonatal units across the country.

She discusses the process of setting up special care baby units in hospitals that previously lacked neonatal services, including assessing facility readiness, training staff, and ensuring standardized care through continued mentorship. Jean highlights partnerships with organizations such as UNICEF and Clinton Health Access Initiative that support equipment and training efforts.

The conversation also touches on the challenges of workforce retention, the importance of continuous education for nurses, and the power of recognition in maintaining morale. Jean reflects on her role in Zambia’s historic 2017 conjoined twins separation, how that experience shaped her approach to critical care, and her personal mission to reduce neonatal mortality through training and compassion.

A deeply practical conversation about scaling neonatal care in resource-limited settings and the dedication it takes to make lasting change.

In this episode, Mbozu interviews Dr. Olufunke Bolaji, consultant pediatrician and neonatologist at the Federal Teaching Hospital Ido-Ekiti, shares her journey into neonatology, driven by mentorship, a love for children, and global learning experiences in Nigeria and the UK. She describes leading a high-performing neonatal unit in a rural Nigerian setting that has achieved Level 3 care, supported by strong hospital administration and collaborations.

Her research focuses on preterm births, neonatal sepsis, respiratory support, and newborn metrics, with emphasis on data-driven quality improvement. As a leader in the African Neonatal Association, she champions collaboration, advocacy, and “decolonizing” neonatal research by centering African-led priorities and implementation. She highlights the importance of teamwork, mentorship, data, and partnerships in merging clinical care with impactful research.

In this episode, Mbozu and Shelly-Ann are joined by Dr Kate Kan, Consultant Pediatrician and the director of the Neonatal Unit at theRegional hospital in Bamenda Cameroon. During the discussion, Dr Kan describes her journey from aspiring pediatrician to her current role as the head of the Neonatal Unit at her institution. She describes some of the challenges as well as the progress that is being made to improve neonatal care in her region. Dr. Kan also highlights the impact of mentorship in her journey and shares her views on how mentorship not only guides individual careers but also enhances neonatal care in resource-limited settings.

In this episode, Dr. Ruth Grace Babirekoba discusses the transformative efforts in newborn care in Uganda, emphasizing the importance of collaboration among healthcare professionals. She shares insights on the National Surfactant Administration Protocol and her personal journey in maternal and newborn health, highlighting the significance of mentorship and self-care for future leaders in healthcare.

In this episode, Dr. Rajesh Mehta shares his extensive journey in pediatrics, detailing the evolution of newborn care in India, the challenges faced in providing quality healthcare, and the importance of continuous improvement in neonatal care practices. The conversation highlights the significant strides made in reducing neonatal mortality rates while addressing the ongoing challenges in healthcare infrastructure and quality of care. In this conversation, Dr. Mehta also discusses the importance of establishing frameworks for quality care in maternal and newborn health. He emphasizes the need for a national structure to support quality standards and the role of global initiatives in enhancing healthcare systems. The discussion also highlights Point of Care Quality Improvement (POCQI) strategies that empower healthcare teams to improve care delivery without requiring additional resources. Dr. Mehta also addresses the significance of integrating quality improvement into training programs, the necessity of addressing upstream determinants of newborn mortality and the importance of collaboration and teamwork in healthcare settings.

In this episode, Dr. Marlon Timothy shares his journey as a neonatologist, discussing his experiences in Trinidad and Tobago and the evolution of neonatal care. He highlights the challenges faced upon returning from training in Toronto, the establishment of neonatal units, and the implementation of therapeutic hypothermia. Dr. Timothy emphasizes the importance of training and collaboration in improving neonatal outcomes and shares insights into the ongoing efforts to enhance maternal and neonatal health in Trinidad and Tobago. In this conversation, Dr. Marlon Timothy discusses various innovative interventions in neonatal care, the importance of funding and government support, the training and development of neonatologists, the role of research and data in improving care, and the challenges of maintaining work-life balance in a demanding field. He emphasizes the need for global collaboration to enhance neonatal outcomes and shares insights from his experiences in Trinidad and Tobago.

In this conversation, the guests from World Pediatrics discuss their mission to improve pediatric healthcare, particularly focusing on neonatal care. They highlight the significant global issues of infant mortality and the need for advanced healthcare access in underserved communities. The discussion covers the organization's history, the shift towards neonatal care, funding challenges, and the importance of building sustainable partnerships with local governments and communities.

They also explore innovative strategies for capacity building and the adaptability of their programs in different settings. This conversation delves into the challenges and strategies of pediatric care in the Eastern Caribbean, focusing on the OECS. The speakers discuss the importance of regional cooperation, capacity building initiatives, and the need for community-centric approaches to healthcare. They highlight the significance of data sharing, training, and sustainable practices in improving neonatal care across the islands.

The discussion also emphasizes the role of organizations like World Pediatrics in facilitating these efforts and the importance of connecting with healthcare professionals to enhance pediatric health outcomes.

In this episode, Tasmin Bota shares her journey as a mother of a premature baby and the founder of Preemie Connect. Tasmin shares about her traumatic birth experience, the challenges faced in the NICU, and the lack of emotional support for parents of premature infants. Tasmin also highlights the motivation behind creating Preemie Connect as a way to fill the gap in support and resources for families dealing with prematurity. The conversation also touches on the current initiatives of Preemie Connect and the ongoing fight for better emotional care in neonatal units. The discussion also highlights the importance of community support, the impact of language used by healthcare providers, and the systemic issues that affect preemie care in South Africa. Tasmin also outlines her vision for the future of Preemie Connect and the necessary policy changes to improve outcomes for preemie families.

In this episode, Shelly-Ann interviews Professor Karen Walker and Edith Gicheha about the importance of specialized training in neonatal nursing, the challenges faced in low and middle-income contexts, and the role of COIN (Council of International Neonatal Nurses) in advocating for improved neonatal care globally. They discuss the significance of continuous education, the establishment of the Community of Nursing Practice, and the impact of NEST 360 in providing essential solutions and training for neonatal care. The conversation highlights inspiring stories of nurses making a difference in their communities and the importance of collaboration in improving neonatal health outcomes.

In this special episode of the Global Neonatal Podcast, hosts Mbozu and Shelly-Ann take a reflective journey through the year, revisiting key insights from conversations with four inspiring change makers in newborn health: Dr. Kunda Kapembwa (Zambia), Dr. Clyde Cave and Dr. Gillian Birchwood (Barbados), Dr. Guilherme Sant’Anna (Brazil), and Dr. Pradeep Suryawanshi (India).

In this episode of the Global Neonatal Podcast, Dr. Msandeni Chiume-Kayuni shares her inspiring journey into pediatrics and neonatal health in Malawi. As the chief pediatrician for Malawi's Ministry of Health, she discusses the significant strides made in neonatal survival, the importance of data collection, and the role of partnerships in improving healthcare outcomes. Dr. Msandeni emphasizes the need for infrastructure and human resources in neonatal care and shares valuable insights on how clinicians can be the change they wish to see in their communities.