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An additional estimated 1.9 million stillbirths occur annually. The majority of deaths and stillbirths occur in low-resource settings, and most are preventable with proven and effective interventions.

93.7

adolescent birth rate-least developed countries

1 in 210

adult lifetime risk of maternal death globally

2.1%

average global maternal mortality reduction

47%

under-five deaths that are newborns globally

A pre-term infant of Asian descent is placed into a medical crib by a medical professional wearing scrubs and a mask. The infant is wrapped in a red and yellow cloth and has an oxygen tube attached to their nose.

A pre-term baby is dried at the Pediatrics Department a hospital in Vietnam. (c) Save the Children

Unveiling Newborn and Maternal Health: Insights, Experts, and Solutions

Dive into the heart of newborn and maternal health. Explore critical issues, access the latest global data, and understand the interconnected ways a newborn and mother are impacted, all in one place. Go beyond information and journey towards understanding, empathy, and action for the well-being of newborns and mothers around the world.

Explore the Issues
A worker in white coat in foreground, with mother and child in background.

A health care worker from Save the Children sees a patient in the Bari region, Somalia. (c) Save the Children

Global Health Leadership, Expertise, and Guidance

Save the Children has long been a leader in global health – we continue to bring our decades of maternal and newborn health expertise to develop HNN as a key knowledge platform for the global health community. Save the Children has been silently steering HNN as lead on the Saving Newborn Lives program since HNN’s inception in 2010; when the Saving Newborn Lives program ended in 2020, Save the Children stepped up to take full ownership, continuing to be a prominent voice for newborns and mothers globally.

Save the Children

HNN connects people working on ensuring the health and well-being of newborns and the families and communities that care for them to key resources, data, experiences, and lessons in an accessible, context-specific manner. It also provides a digital space to distill and disseminate local, regional, and global experiences to a professional audience.

Our Core Values

Guided by Evidence, United in Action

At HNN, we unite under a commitment to collaboration, a dedication to knowledge sharing, and a responsibility towards global advocacy for newborn and maternal well-being, driving impactful change in the landscape of newborn health.

Commitment to Collaboration

HNN values collaborative efforts, recognizing that impactful change requires the collective expertise and lived experiences of individuals, organizations, and communities worldwide.

Dedication to Knowledge Sharing

HNN is dedicated to fostering an accessible environment of continuous learning and knowledge exchange. We believe in the power of shared insights, evidence-based practices, and innovative ideas to drive advancements in newborn health.

Global Advocates for Newborns

HNN is a recognized global knowledge platform that supports advocacy efforts that advance newborn health. We commit to ensuring HNN remains a strong tool for our community, to raise awareness, influence policies, and mobilize support using evidence-based knowledge and data, ensuring that every newborn has the opportunity for a healthy and thriving start in life.

Leaders in Newborn Health

Meet our Experts

Discover the unparalleled credibility and leadership embodied by the experts who help curate our content and ensure our technical accuracy in the field of newborn health.

A white man with a goatee, wearing glasses and a white collared shirt, stands in front of a white background looking head on to camera.
Dr. Steve Wall

Lead Advisor, Newborn Health

Dr. Steve Wall is a pediatrician, neonatologist, and public health expert with over 20 years’ experience in global health at Save the Children.  He trained in Pediatrics and Neonatology at University of California, San Francisco and Harvard, where he also received a Master of Science degree in Epidemiology.  Prior to joining Save the Children, Dr. Wall was on the Faculty of Pediatrics at the University of Chicago and worked as an Attending Neonatologist at the University Children’s Hospital. Dr. Wall is recognized as a global technical expert and has served on expert panels for WHO in developing global guidelines for many areas of newborn health. He has authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications as well as a number of global reports and publications such as Born Too Soon, and the KMC Global Positioning Paper and KMC Implementation Framework Paper.

Dr. Goldy Mazia

Lead Advisor, Newborn Health

Dr. Mazia  has over 30 years of experience in the health care field as a provider and administration in Colombia, South America, and the Negev desert of Israel; and 14 years as a public health practitioner and global technical leader in the field of child health, with a specific focus on newborn health. Her parents are Holocaust survivors from Poland and arrived in Colombia as refugees in 1947 where they began their family and raised three children. She has a medical degree from Rosario University Bogota, specialized training in neonatology from Soroka Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Mazia is fluent in Spanish, English, and Hebrew, and has basic in French and Portuguese language skills.

Dr. Neena Khadka Basnet

Lead Advisor, Newborn Health

Dr. Neena Khadka Basnet, a pediatrician with over 30 years of experience in clinical and public health practices, began her career in 1987 with the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) in Nepal.  She practiced pediatrics and neonatology clinically for fifteen years in tertiary and zonal hospitals in the country.  During her tenure with the MoHP, she also served for three years as the in-charge of national child health training activities in the government’s National Health Training Center.  Dr. Khadka Basnet joined Save the Children in 2001 on the Saving Newborn Lives Program-I.  During her tenure with Save the Children in Nepal, Neena also led the Community Health Service Delivery team for the USAID bilateral program in Nepal. In 2013 she became a member of the Save the Children USA team and served as the Team Lead for Newborn Health for USAID’s Maternal and Child Survival Program.  Dr. Khadka Basnet is currently the Lead Newborn Advisor at Save the Children USA and the Newborn Health Focal Point for USAID’s MOMENTUM Country and Global Leadership Program. She holds M.B.,B.S., Diploma in Child Health, M.A. in Social Science Research and MPH from various universities in Asia.

A headshot of a woman with light brown hair, wearing a blue button up shirt.
Hilary Wartinger, MPH

Senior Advisor for Knowledge Management

Hilary Wartinger, MPH (she/her) leads the management team behind HNN, providing strategic direction and content oversight. She previously worked for the Women’s Refugee Commission as a Sexual and Reproductive Health advisor, where she focused on reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, adolescent health and nutrition programming in conflict settings. Her work in humanitarian settings brought her to Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Somalia, where she developed pilot testing protocols for the Newborn Health in Humanitarian Settings Field Guide. Additionally, Hilary has led content development for a New York-based non-profit’s website. Hilary is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, serving three years in Eswatini before earning a Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University, alongside her degrees in Journalism and International Relations from Boston University.

Our Story

The History of HNN

The History of HNN chronicles the evolution of the global community’s commitment to newborn health, highlighting key milestones, collaborative efforts, and the ongoing pursuit of knowledge and positive impact.

1999

Evidence emerges of neonatal deaths being reduced through home-based care provided by community health workers.

2000

The Saving Newborn Lives (SNL) program is born. The first program of it’s kind, it elevated newborn health and generated a movement that would span decades.

2010

Healthy Newborn Network (HNN) launched – the first online platform dedicated to newborn health

2014

Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) passed as a resolution at the World Health Assembly

2015

1st Global Maternal Newborn Health Conference; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include a target to end newborn deaths

2020

SNL program ends, international community discusses priorities for the future

2021

Save the Children takes full ownership of HNN

2024

HNN launches redesigned website, incorporating the full spectrum of issues that impact newborn and maternal health and well-being