Prof Cally Tann
Prof of Neonatal Medicine & Child Health
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Keppel Street
London
WC1E 7HT
United Kingdom
I am a Clinical Professor, working in international neonatal (newborn) health and early childhood development and disability in resource limited settings. I am a South Africa-born, UK-trained doctorand hold a Consultant Neonatologist post at University College London Hospitals Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in central London. My research focuses on the risks and impacts of common newborn conditions on the developing brain, and how best to support children with developmental disabilities and their families. I am the founder of the Baby Ubuntu programme of early care and support for young children with developmental disabilities and their families in resource limited settings, and provide technical expertise to the World Health Organization on early interventions for children with developmental disabilities and to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on intervention strategies for newborn brain injury. I work closely with Professor Joy Lawn, the MARCH Centre, and the International Centre for Evidence in Disability and lead the global neonatal health faculty for the London Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Affiliations
Centres
Teaching
I am a Departmental Research Degrees Coordinator in the Department for Infectious Disease Epidemiology & International Health and was the Neonatal Unit Training Director and RCPCH College Tutor at UCLH between 2016 and 2022. I am the Director of the 'Survival Guide to Neonatal Intensive Care' courses and teach on clinical care of the newborn in the UK and East Africa. At LSHTM I lead the global newborn health faculty for the London Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and have co-directed the RCPCH Helping Babies Breathe courses on neonatal resuscitation in LMICs.
Research
My clinical and research interests focus on neonatal health and early childhood outcomes and interventions, particularly newborn brain health amongst term and preterm infants. I lead studies that aim to improve our understanding of risk factors and early outcomes related to newborn conditions in Uganda as well as early identification and intervention for children with developmental disabilities as a result of events around the time of birth.
I am the founder and lead for the Baby Ubuntu programme, a participatory group programme that aims to promote participation and inclusion for children with developmental disabilities and their families, working in close partnership with expert parents to develop strategies to promote caregiver skills and agency. I work closely with the International Centre for Evidence in Disability on evaluations of child disability interventions and provide technical expertise to the World Health Organization on early care and support for children 0-3 years with developmental disabilities. In addition, I am a member of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation consortium on newborn neuroprotection strategies developing innovative neuroprotective strategies for use in low income country settings.
In collaboration with Prof Joy Lawn and the MARCH centre, I lead aspects of the OMWaNA trial, examining causal pathways of impact of early Kangaroo Mother Care prior on mortality and morbidity outcomes amongst small vulnerable newborns, and have previously contributed to the global landscaping of Group B Streptococcal infection amongst women and newborns and a process and impact analysis of the Saving Brains portfolio of Early Child Development interventions.