Tiny Feet, Big Steps Neonatology Conference
Arusha, Tanzania, 2026
Speakers, Physicians, Nurses & Conference Coordination Team
Conference Schedule

Allied Health Professionals

Samudragupta Bora, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Puja Padbidri, PT, MS, CNT, IBCLC
Neonatal Therapist
Bharati Hospital and Research Center
Pune, India

Physicians

Naana A. Wireko Brobby, MD, MBChB, Cert Paed Neonatology, MPhil
Neonatologist and Senior Lecturer
Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital / Kwame Nkrumah University of Science
and Technology
Kumasi, Ghana
​
Gabriela Jiménez Díaz, MD
Picterus Medical Advisor
Trondheim, Norway

Catherine Felix
Paediatrician and current neonatal fellow at MUHAS

Phil Fischer, MD
Pediatrics
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

Scott Guthrie, MD, FAAP
Clinical Professor of Pediatrics
University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center
Direct of Neonatal Quality and Research
Children’s at Erlanger
United States

Brandon R. Hadfield, MD
Attending Neonatologist
UT Health San Antonio

Michael Harling, MD
General Surgery

Anna John, MD
Pediatrician
Dayspring Regional Health Center
Williamsburg, Kentucky, USA

Rehema Irene Marando, MD
Consultant Pediatrician and Neonatologist
Mbeya Zonal Referral Hospital
Mbeya, Tanzania

Eunice Msuya, MD
Senior Pediatric Registrar
ICHA/ Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre
Arusha, Tanzania

Evelyine Mushi, MBBS(Tz), DCH(Syd), Mmed & FC Paed(SA)
Pediatrician, ICHA-APMC & ALMC-JKCI
Arusha Tanzania

Grace Musiime, MBBCH, MSc, MMed, FC Paed (SA), DTM&H, DLSTM, Cert
Neonatologist and Pediatrician
AIC Kijabe Hospital
Kijabe, Kenya

Andrew Mwanjonde
Paediatrician
ICHA/ Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre
Arusha, Tanzania

Neema Evelyne Nalitolela, MD, MMED MSc. Clinical Neonatology
Neonatologist
Muhimbili National Hospital (Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania)

Monika S. Patil, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine
Attending Neonatologist at Texas Children’s Hospital
Texas, United States

Victoria Nakibuuka, MBChB MMed Mphil Neonatology
Neonatologist and Pediatrician
Nsambya Hospital
Kampala, Uganda

Beatrice Mpora Odongkara (MBChB, MMed, ESPE /PETCA Fellowship, PhD)
Deputy Chief of Research and Graduate Training | Senior Lecturer in Pediatrics
Gulu University, Uganda

Dr. Helga Naburi, MD (MMED, MPH, PhD, MPhil/Cert Neonatology, SA)
Neonatologist, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences,
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Happiness Rabiel, MD, MMED, MSC, FCS-ECSA, FACS
Neurosurgeon and Head of Department Surgery KCMC
Adjunct Prof Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona
Moshi, Tanzania

Clark Sleeth
Kinyasini District Hospital
Zanzibar

Tina M Slusher, MD
Professor of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and Global Pediatrics
University of Minnesota Medical School, Department of Pediatrics /
Hennepin Healthcare Minneapolis, USA

Stephen J. Swanson, MD, DTM&H, FAAP
Founder and Chair, Tiny Feet Big Steps Neonatology Conference
Founder, Institute for Child Healthcare Africa (ICHA)
Associate Professor, Global Pediatric Program
University of Minnesota Medical School

Lloyd Tooke, MBChB, MMed(Paeds), FCPaeds,
Cert. Neonatology (SA)
Neonatologist
Groote Schuur Hospital
Cape Town, South Africa

Jacquelyine Uriyo
Neonatologist
Mt Meru Hospital
Arusha, Tanzania

Antke Zuechner, MD, MSc International Health
Paediatrician, Neonatologist, and Paediatric Cardiologist
Germany


Nurses

Betelihem Arega, BSc, MSc-Neonatal Nursing
NICU Nurse
St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Judith Atucungwire, BSc-M, DHSMHA
NICU Nurse
Mulago Specialized Women and Neonatal Hospital
Kampala, Uganda

Agustino Binamungu, RN
NICU Nurse
St. Elizabeth Hospital
Arusha, Tanzania

Richard Businge, RMN, MSc-MCH, PGD-GHP, BScN
Director, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH)
Bulamu Healthcare
Kampala, Uganda

Shannon Cessna, RN
Neonatal nurse certified (BSN, RNC-NIC)
ICHA
Arusha, Tanzania

Alice Alum Collette, RM, BSc-N, MPH, MSN
NICU Nurse
Soroti University / Soroti Hospital
Soroti, Uganda

Lisa Giesbrecht-Dyck, RN, BN
NICU Nurse and Certified Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse
St. Boniface Hospital
Winnipeg, Canada

Anna Faustine
NICU Nurse
Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre
Arusha, Tanzania

Monica Feldman, BSN, RN
NICU Nurse
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Amanda Gontarek, BSN, RN, IBCLC
NICU Nurse
Tripler Army Medical Center
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Hannah Imbuye, RN, KRCHN
NICU Nurse
Kijabe Hospital
Kijabe, Kenya

Andrea Kämmerer
NICU Nurse, Specialist for Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
St. Bernward Krankenhaus
Hildesheim, Germany

Ndini Itoine, RN
NICU Nurse and Nursing Instructor
ICHA NICU / APMC
Tanzania

Angel Mathew, RN
NICU Nurse
ICHA/ Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre NICU
Arusha, Tanzania

Patricia Mololo
NICU Nurse, Kijabe Hospital
Kijabe, Kenya

Joyce Murugi, RN, KRCHN
NICU Nurse
Kijabe Hospital
Kijabe, Kenya

Nancy Wilbert Rumazi, RN, BScN
NICU Nurse and Neonatal Instructor
Muhimbili National Hospital
Dar es Salaam Tanzania

Napir Saipi, RN
Certified Neonatal Nurse
Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre
Arusha, Tanzania

Sinyati Saitabau
NICU Nurse
Njombe Regional Referral Hospital
Njombe, Tanzania

Emily Teschko, RN, BSN
NICU Nurse
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Shiloh Sziy, RN, RNC-NIC
NICU Nurse
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Pauline Wanjiku, RN
NICU Coordinator
Kijabe Hospital
Kijabe, Kenya

Patricia Wilhelm
NICU Nurse Manager
Hawaii, USA

Redeat Workneh, RN, BA, MPH, CNE
Lecturer and Clinical Nurse Educator
St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, School of Nursing,
Department of Neonatal Nursing
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia


Conference Coordination Team

Samantha Button, MPhil, MBA
Education & Resource Development
Institute for Child Healthcare Africa (ICHA)
Arusha, Tanzania

Tamara Hashim
Administrator
Institute for Child Healthcare Africa (ICHA)
Arusha, Tanzania
​
Jodi Swanson
Community Health
Institute for Child Healthcare Africa (ICHA)
Arusha, Tanzania