Global Action in Nursing

In many places in the world, including in the United States, women and babies are dying unnecessarily from complications during childbirth because there are not enough health care providers or providers lack training and dedicated mentorship opportunities in maternal and newborn health care.

Our vision is that every nurse and midwife will have the skills to support women giving birth.

Our mission is to prevent complications and death during childbirth by both increasing the number of new nurses and midwives, and providing clinical and leadership training to those already working in high-risk communities.

We currently collaborate with Partners In Health (PIH) and GAIA Global Health in sub-Saharan Africa and CHOICES Center for Reproductive Health in Memphis, Tennessee. GAIN works with partners to equip nurses and midwives with the expertise and skills they need to save lives through:

  • Comprehensive curriculum delivery, including leadership and clinical training for safe childbirth.
  • Hands-on longitudinal bedside mentorship by expert nurse-midwives.
  • A UCSF support team to (1) analyze data on nurse-midwife clinical practices and mentorship activities and (2) track maternal and infant complications and deaths to observe project impact.

News

Providers teaching neonatal resuscitation on a mannequin

September 10, 2024
GAIN received another generous gift from the Wyss Medical Foundation to support the expansion of activities to another country in sub-Saharan Africa. We will continue our work with Partners In Health to improve maternal and neonatal health in Lesotho.  


GAIN team at UC Global Health Day posing on UCLA steps

March 7, 2024
The third annual GAIN cross-site conference was held in San Francisco and Los Angeles this year, bringing together colleagues from Liberia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Memphis, and UCSF for a week of in-person collaboration and connection. In Los Angeles, we attended UC Global Health Day at UCLA and the Consortium of Universities for Global Health Conference. 


Two providers caring for a baby in an infant radiant warmer

April 4-8, 2023
In celebration of World Health Workers Awareness Week, GAIN co-director, Daniel Maweu, is pictured front page of an article highlighting the crucial role health workers play in ensuring human rights across the globe. Read more about why Health Workers are Human Rights Warriors.  


March 2023
Explore the breadth of global health at UCSF at the new UCSF Global Hub website. 


Midwifery Mentoring and Belonging program mentors, mentees and leaders

January 23, 2023
Inspired by GAIN colleague Dr. Nikia Grayson who started the country's first Black midwifery fellowship at CHOICES in Memphis, UCSF developed a new Midwifery Mentoring and Belonging Program to diversify the midwifery workforce. 


GAIN team members with Matron and two students at graduation from Mzuzu University

November 14, 2022
Strengthening our partnership with GAIA Global Health, 40 new students were inaugurated into the Nursing Scholar Program at Mzuzu University in Mzimba District, Malawi. GAIN is funding two-year scholarships to upgrade students’ qualifications from diploma to bachelor-level nurse-midwives.


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September 7, 2022
UCSF establishes a Center for Global Nursing to encourage collaboration among UCSF nurses and facilitate innovative global health solutions.


Front cover of GAIA annual report

April 13, 2022
This year, GAIN and GAIA Global Health teamed up to provide 100 nursing scholarships to new and upgrading nurse midwives. Read more about our continued partnership in GAIA Global Health's 2021 Annual Report.


Illustration of Dr. Kimberly Baltzell

December 17, 2021
"From sub-Saharan Africa to Tennessee, Kimberly Baltzell champions nurses and midwives." Read the featured story on our GAIN director, Dr. Kimberly Baltzell, in the UCSF Alumni magazine.


Daniel Maweu mentoring a nurse in the NICU in Liberia

October 10, 2021
GAIN cross-site lead, Daniel Maweu, published his article on Simple Education Interventions to Equip Nursing Students in Rural Liberia.


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CHOICES Center for Reproductive Health logo

August 31, 2021
GAIN partners with CHOICES to offer fellowships for Black midwives in Memphis, Tennessee.


Illustration of nurse in full PPE

November 16, 2020
We need nurses on the COVID transition team, an op-ed by Dr. Stella Aguinaga Bialous and GAIN director, Dr. Kimberly Baltzell.


Logo for Global Health in the Time of COVID podcast

June 17, 2020
Listen to the first episode of Global Health in the Time of COVID with GAIN director, Dr. Kimberly Baltzell.


American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene logo

May 15, 2020
The World Needs 6 Million More Nurses: What Are We Waiting For?
An editorial by Dr. Stella Aguinaga Bialous and GAIN director, Dr. Kimberly Baltzell.


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Cover of the State of the World's Nursing 2020 report

April 6, 2020
The WHO released the State of the World's Nursing Report, citing research from GAIN director, Dr. Kimberly Baltzell.


World Health Organization Year of the Midwife 2020 logo

January 1, 2020
The WHO declares 2020 the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.


Two Malawian nurses talking with a UCSF nursing student at first GAIN training in Neno

January 8, 2018
"Malawi Program Making GAINs in Maternal Health." Read more about the beginnings of Global Action in Nursing (GAIN) project.