My name is Emily Mbaire Njuguna, a pediatrician working in the public health sector. For over 11 years, I have committed to my greatest interest: transforming the healthcare environment for children. Neonates have always had a special place in my heart since they are the ones who are most adversely affected by health-care inequities.
I hold a Master of Medicine degree in Pediatrics and Child Health from the University of Nairobi and was granted the Nestle Kenya Ltd recognition award for best postgraduate student in the Pediatrics Department. The prize was awarded in recognition of my academic achievement as well as my efforts to ensure that postnatal moms received enough information on danger signs observed in their babies prior to discharge.
I am the Senior Technical Advisor for Africa Region (Maternal, Newborn, Child Health, and Nutrition-MNCHN) at PATH. I am also part of technical committees both at the County and National level.
Formerly, I was the Head of Department- Pediatrics, at Pumwani Maternity Hospital, the region’s largest maternity and newborn care facility. Being part of a national pilot project within the hospital to establish and sustain the first human milk bank in East and Central Africa is one of my proudest achievements. Our team worked tirelessly to guarantee that this pilot initiative could continue when financing was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This groundbreaking work has influenced plans for a countrywide rollout of human milk banks in the coming months. Furthermore, a year ago, I was involved in the validation of newborn treatment guidelines, which culminated in the Kenyan Ministry of Health adopting a standard national protocol (the Comprehensive Newborn Care protocol).
I am deeply committed Patient Safety and Advocacy, Medical Education in addition to Healthcare Policy and Management. I also champion Quality Improvement efforts in pediatric care at both County and National levels.
