Kybele, Inc.

05/12/2026

Our sincere thanks to the F.M. Kirby Impact Prize team, Duke CASE, and the selection committee for recognizing the importance of strengthening health systems and scaling practical solutions that save the lives of mothers and babies. We are honored to be named one of the four finalists for the 2026 F.M. Kirby Prize for Scaling Impact!
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From the CASE at Duke University LinkedIn Page:

🌍 2026 Kirby Impact Prize Finalist Spotlight: Kybele Worldwide
We’re excited to highlight Kybele Worldwide—an organization demonstrating what it looks like to scale simple, life-saving innovation within public health systems.

Why we’re excited about Kybele’s scaling potential:
• Co-designed with government. In partnership with the Ghana Health Service, Kybele developed and scaled a streamlined obstetric triage system (OTIP) that reduces maternal and neonatal mortality by addressing delays in hospital assessment and treatment.
• Simple, low-cost, and replicable. OTIP builds on existing hospital infrastructure—midwifery staff, physical space, and workflows—making it both practical and highly scalable across resource-constrained settings.
• Proven, life-saving results. Rigorous studies show ~48% reductions in maternal mortality and ~52% reductions in intrapartum stillbirths in hospitals implementing the model.
• Growing global demand. Health systems in multiple countries are now engaging Kybele to adapt and implement OTIP in their own contexts.
Kybele’s work is a powerful reminder: transformative impact doesn’t always require complex solutions—just the right ones, implemented well.

F. M. Kirby Foundation, Inc.

04/15/2026

We were honored to participate in the IMNHC (International Maternal Newborn Health Conference) 2026 Participatory Learning Session in Nairobi Kenya, joining an incredible group of global partners working to improve maternal and newborn health.

Kybele had the opportunity to share our experience in Ghana—how system-based solutions like obstetric triage can move from innovation to national scale when they are co-designed with governments and embedded into routine care.

What made this session especially meaningful was the exchange. Together with colleagues from Mali, Nepal, and Kenya, we reflected on what it really takes to move from pilot to sustainable, government-led implementation—what works, what doesn’t, and what we’re still learning.

The energy in the room, the level of engagement, and the richness of the discussion were truly inspiring.

We’re grateful to Grand Challenges Canada and the IMNHC team for bringing this group together—and to our fellow speakers and participants for such thoughtful and honest conversations.

This is how progress happens: shared learning, strong partnerships, and a commitment to lasting impact.

03/08/2026

Kybele is proud to serve with and for amazing women around the globe. We salute you on International Women's Day.

International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender equality.

IWD has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people. Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group or organization specific. IWD is a movement, powered by the collective efforts of all.

03/08/2026

Kybele has been on the MOVE....

This week, members of the Kybele team traveled to Mozambique to launch a new collaboration focused on improving maternal and newborn health at the community level.

Kybele Grants Manager, Erin Pfeiffer and Co-Executive Director for Business Operations and Strategic Growth, Tom Newton-Lewis joined partners from University College London, Ekjut (India), and N’weti (Mozambique) for a series of meetings with officials from the Mozambique Ministry of Health and technical partners in Maputo.

The visit marks the start of the Community Health Worker-Led Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) Project for maternal and newborn health.

Following meetings in Maputo, the team traveled to Nampula Province to meet local health leaders, conduct site visits, and begin planning the implementation of the project with district and community stakeholders.

The PLA approach brings communities together—guided by trained community health workers—to identify local challenges around pregnancy, childbirth, and newborn care, and to design practical solutions that work within their own context.

Kybele is honored to work alongside these outstanding partners and the Government of Mozambique to support stronger systems of care for mothers and babies.

More updates from Mozambique soon.

Ekjut India

03/06/2026

Sometimes you just gotta dance......

Earlier this week, Kybele's founder, Dr. Medge Owen met with leaders from the Family Health Division of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in Accra to discuss the future of advanced newborn care in Ghana.

The meeting brought together clinicians, health system leaders, and program experts to review the Advanced Newborn Care Package developed through the Making Every Baby Count Initiative (MEBCI) and explore pathways for expanding these lifesaving practices across the country.

As is very common at meetings, workshops and trainings in Ghana - a short "ice-breaker dance" is conducted at the beginning of the meeting or between sessions. This fun movement activity is designed to wake people up, get everyone relaxed, and to build energy in the room for lively discussions.

And what lively discussions they were...

Over the course of the meeting, participants reviewed clinical modules spanning the full continuum of care - from labor and delivery to neonatal intensive care - along with systems for:
*** monitoring outcomes
*** strengthening referral & transport systems
*** improving data reporting for NICUs.

What made the conversation especially encouraging was the shared commitment in the room - ensuring that EVERY newborn in Ghana, regardless of where they are born, has access to HIGH QUALITY, SPECIALIZED CARE when they need it most.

Kybele is grateful to the GHS Family Health Division, clinicians and partners who continue to work together to strengthen newborn care systems and build sustainable solutions for mothers and babies.

More collaboration ahead as we continue this important work.

Ghana Health Service

03/01/2026

This has been a remarkable journey and an incredible success story. OTIP saves maternal lives by preventing delay within hospitals. Every maternal death is one too many! Thank you Ghana Health Service for true partnership with Kybele, Inc. Together, we made a difference.

02/11/2026

WOW! What a weekend!

We are SO GRATEFUL to everyone who attended and/or supported Kybele's 25th Anniversary Celebration Event "Meet the MOMent" on Saturday evening in Winston-Salem. It was a beautiful tribute to the life-saving and compassionate care work being done around the world for mothers and babies and to the vision and dedication of founder, OB Anesthesiologist, Dr. Medge Owen who recently retired from clinical work at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Wake Forest School of Medicine Anesthesiology.

Over 160 guests were introduced to "innovation stations" showcasing Kybele's most recent work in The Balkans and Ghana as well as life-saving products being scaled on a national level. Attendees also got a glimpse of Kybele's newest program launching in 2026 in Mozambique. Guest speakers from Ghana and Serbia as well as team leaders and board members spoke about the impact of Kybele's work in their home countries and in their professional careers.

An entertaining and informative keynote address given by Kybele Co-Executive Director, Tom Newton-Lewis, highlighted the current state of global affairs effecting newborn and maternal mortality, the unique position Kybele plays and the importance (now more than ever) of supporting the work. Dr. Laura Dean a long-time Kybele supporter and colleague gave a heartwarming tribute to Dr. Owen.

Amidst the beautiful decor of the Pilot View Center, guests also dined on a generous amount of wonderful food, drinks, and dessert while bidding on a wide array of donated silent auction items. Guests were perusing Kybele historical displays and meeting old and new friends who have been touched by Kybele and Dr. Owen over the past several decades.

This lovely reunion of Kybele family and friends culminated in a final light tribute not only to Dr. Owen, but to all our mothers and children and the need to press on with this vital work.

Many thanks to all our sponsors, ticket buyers, silent auction donors, silent auction bidders, special guests, volunteers, staff and friends for making this a night to remember.

We anxiously await the professional photos from our photographers which we will share here soon.

Thank you again for your support. www.kybeleworldwide.org

02/05/2026

Knowledge shared = knowledge squared.

The Kybele 2026 Board & Staff Leadership Retreat is currently underway in Winston-Salem, NC. This annual gathering of medical, analytical and creative minds is essential to the growth and direction of Kybele in ever-changing times.

Kybele leaders from all over the globe including Ghana, Serbia, US, and UK are spending the next few days in (chilly) NC looking at data, discussing current & future programs, and how to position Kybele as an important voice and change-maker in global maternal and neonatal healthcare.

Special thanks to Lyndhurst Gynecologic Associates for pivoting in this snowy weather to open up your beautiful facility to the Kybele team to have this meeting when our other option(s) changed at the last minute.

2026 is Kybele's 25th Anniversary year and we are exited to be mapping out the next phase of growth.

01/29/2026

The food is being ordered. The name tags are being printed. The details are being finalized. We want YOU there. ❤️

Last Call for TICKETS & SPONSORSHIPS!
TICKETS & EVENT INFO CAN BE FOUND HERE:
https://pci.jotform.com/form/253208944880060

We are just about a week away from Kybele's 25th Anniversary event in Winston-Salem! Thank you to everyone who has purchased tickets and/or sponsored the event - it is going to be a wonderful and informational celebration of 25 years of Kybele's global health work and Dr. Medge Owen's legacy as founder.

Novant Health Wake Forest School of Medicine Anesthesiology Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Wake Forest University School of Medicine Wake Forest University Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology

01/29/2026

Last Call for TICKETS & SPONSORSHIPS!
TICKETS & EVENT INFO CAN BE FOUND HERE:
https://pci.jotform.com/form/253208944880060

We are just about a week away from Kybele's 25th Anniversary event in Winston-Salem! Thank you to everyone who has purchased tickets and/or sponsored the event - it is going to be a wonderful and informational celebration of 25 years of Kybele's global health work and Dr. Medge Owen's legacy as founder.

Novant Health Wake Forest School of Medicine Anesthesiology Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Wake Forest University School of Medicine Wake Forest University Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology

01/16/2026

We are only THREE weeks away from Kybele's 25th anniversary celebration!
Do you have your tickets?

TICKETS & EVENT INFO CAN BE FOUND HERE:
https://pci.jotform.com/form/253208944880060

On Saturday, February 7, 2026 from 6:00pm to 9:30pm in Winston-Salem, NC, we are not only celebrating 25 incredible years of global health work, but also the legacy of our founder and fearless leader, Dr. Medge Owen.

Join us at Meet the Moment - for a thought provoking evening that blends storytelling, conversation and collaboration - celebrating 25 years of Kybele's work while rallying a call to action for the future. Your voice, your presence, and your support will help ensure that every birth counts.

Can't make it? Please consider supporting this event from afar with a sponsorship or donation in recognition of Medge and all of Kybele's amazing accomplishments over the past 25 years. Thank you.

Novant Health Wake Forest University School of Medicine Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Wake Forest School of Medicine Anesthesiology Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology