From the VON Team to your team, we are grateful for the work each and every one of you do to collect your data and work to improve the outcomes of infants worldwide. Happy Thanksgiving.

Congratulations to Dr. Danielle Ehret, VON's Chief Medical Officer and Director of Global Health, who received the Marie McCormick lectureship. Presented by her collegues, Dr. DeWayne Pursley and Dr. John Zupancic, Dr. Ehret became the 2nd VON team member to receive this award. Congratulations!

November is World Prematurity Awareness month-a time to honor every baby born too soon and the families and care teams who walk withthem. We're committed to improving outcomes for premature infants through shared data, collaboration, and learning across our global community. bit.ly/4lAfjfJ.

This World Prematurity Day, we celebrate incremental gains in neonatal care and recognize the strength of premature babies. Data comes from 50,000 very low birth weight or very preterm infants in over 1,100 centers worldwide born in 2024. #neosky #VON bit.ly/VLBW

Let's learn more about VON's quality improvement process! The collaboratives are designed for the entire multidisciplinary team, including parents who are core faculty and contributing members of improvement teams. #neosky #von bit.ly/3WV67bR

Join us Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 12ET for a discussion on the NICU environment. Faculty, including Robert White, MD; John Zupancic, MD, MS, ScD; Roger F. Soll, MD; Danielle Ehret, MD, MPH, will discuss how infants are impacted by the sensory features of their care environment. #neosky bit.ly/43gdvlQ

A little known, yet fun fact about the VON database, is that any NICU can participate, regardless of level. In fact, in Nightingale, our online reporting system, you can select to compare your data specifically to other Level II, III, or IV NICUs. bit.ly/3AXoNjm

Now that’s something to scream about! Collecting data is the beginning. The real magic happens when teams use it to drive quality improvement. VON helps NICUs around the world transform numbers into knowledge and knowledge into action—because no team should face their data alone. bit.ly/4dSZQ7n

Here’s the truth: The VON Quality Congress will return in 2026, bringing back the community of learning, innovation, and collaboration that has always defined our worldwide community. Mark the dates November 5-8, 2026 in Chicago and watch for details! public.vtoxford.org/annual-quali...

The VON team had an amazing time at the @jenscongress.bsky.social conference in Belgrade, Serbia including a great presentation from @erikamedwards.bsky.social and presentations from members of our Global Health team. #neosky

The VON team is excited to see you at the jENS conference this week! In addition to hearing about all our programs at booth 40, VON team members and Global Health partners will be presenting in a variety of ways. #neosky

@vtoxfordnetwork.bsky.social with the African Neonatal Network and P-95, and an investment from the Gates Foundation, has launched the Surfactant Administered via Supraglottic airway versus InSurE (SASI) Trial in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria. To read more, please visit bit.ly/4gUIDN1 #neosky

On NICU Remembrance Day, we pause to honor the infants who died and those who grieve their loss. Each baby is valued and forever part of our community's story. We recognize the profound impact of these lives and remain committed to learning from every baby to improve care for those yet to come.

September is NICU Awareness Month- a time to honor all the patients, the families who support their every step, and the dedicated health professionals who provide their care. At VON, we're proud to partner with NICUs around the world to share data, learn together, and improve outcomes.

Learning about the future of surfactant with Cicely Fadel from @gatesfoundation.bsky.social at the African Neonatal Network Quality Congress. Such amazing opportunities! #neosky @vtoxfordnetwork.bsky.social

Salsa training at the African Neonatal Network meeting! #neosky @vtoxfordnetwork.bsky.social @gatesfoundation.bsky.social

The recording of our August 6th Grand Rounds, Evidence to Practice: Oxygen in the NICU, is now available. View this session and explore our improvement library of past Grand Rounds, including topics such as Eat/Sleep/Console, Follow up and Follow Through, and much more! #neosky bit.ly/4mfxRTt

Happy International Neonatal Nurses Day! At VON, we celebrate and honor the incredible dedication, expertise, and compassion of neonatal nurses around the world. You are essential to our mission and play a key role in improving care for our tiniest patients. bit.ly/4lAfjfJ

VON members participating in QI programs understand that a culture of improvement must involve every person caring for the infant. Our programs are intentionally multidisciplinary and family-centered, and these teams are dedicated to transformative and compassionate care. Learn more: bit.ly/4dSZQ7n

From reducing complications in preterm infants to engaging families and frontline teams in sustainable change, these centers are showing what’s possible when we collect data, benchmark data, collaborate across institutions and never stop asking how we can be better. Please visit bit.ly/4dSZQ7n

Our next Grand Rounds is two weeks from today! We invite our international newborn care community to join us for a webinar focused on oxygen use in the NICU. Join us 8/6 at 12ET. CEUs/CMEs are included for this webinar. Register her: bit.ly/4eZ6drf #neosky

In addition to our standard VLBW and Expanded databases, VON also has an ELBW follow up database. The goal is to obtain a complete description of health and developmental outcome status for ELBW infants at 18 to 24 months’ corrected age. To be a part of this database visit: bit.ly/ELBWFU

Join us 8/6 at 12E for Grand Rounds Evidence to Practice: Oxygen in the NICU. Oxygen therapy is critical to the care of sick preterm newborns. We will examine evidence-based practices that maximize the benefits of oxygen administration while minimizing potential harms. bit.ly/VONGrandRoun

Data submission and reports are complete for birth year 2024 thanks to our amazing VON members. Your efforts ensured 1,111 centers have finalized infant data! Nightingale has been updated with 2024 birth year Network and NICU type data and your center’s risk-adjusted results. bit.ly/3AXoNjm

Applications for the VON Award for Excellence in Quality Improvement open soon! Award recipients are active members of our QI Collaborative, All Care is Brain Care. To learn how your team can apply or join our QI collaborative, visit: bit.ly/3zogFrW #neosky #von

Happy Father's Day to all the NICU dads out there supporting their partners and children before, during and after a NICU stay. We know this journey you are on is unique and emotionally and physically trying. We see you and we thank you!

Ethiopian nurse-physician pairs mentored hospitals in standardizing assessments of RDS and optimizing the use of CPAP, which increased CPAP use and decreased preterm infant mortality. @vtoxfordnetwork.bsky.social #neosky #QI publications.aap.org/pediatrics/a...

Variation across health systems was 1.5% for mortality and 5.2% for length of stay among surviving preterm infants. @vtoxfordnetwork.bsky.social jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Most very preterm infants receive care in a multihospital system. Our recent research shows meaningful variation in mortality and length of stay, suggesting opportunities for health system focused QI. bit.ly/45ICC2n

Today we highlight the work of our NICQ Collaborative team from Merit Health River Oaks. They describe how a cost-analysis of their quality improvement efforts as part of the QI collaborative helped senior leadership understand the value of working within our improvement community. bit.ly/3F8csLN

Today's member story is from the team at Overland Park Regional Medical Center. They share how QI initiatives through All Care is Brain Care have improved their length of stay. Interested in learning more? Join us for an informational webinar 6/3 at 3pm ET: vtoxford.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Interested in joining our QI Collaborative? Join our webinar on 6/3 at 3pm ET to learn how your team can use your VON data to transform the care and outcomes of your patients. Meet with VON faculty to learn about joining any of the topic groups. Register: vtoxford.zoom.us/meeting/regi... #neosky

Today's member story comes to us from Overland Park, Kansas. Dr. Thomas Lancaster and Karen Kopischke, NNP, describe some of the practice changes they have made in their unit using the VON QI framework, A Sequence to Achieve Change. To learn more, please visit: bit.ly/4gilovT

At VON, we believe families are an essential part of not only the care team, but also the quality improvement team. Today, St. Joseph's Tacoma shares with us the importance of graduate parents' presence in the unit and how parent advocates in the NICU can bridge the gaps. bit.ly/4dSZQ7n...

Today we celebrate the strength, love, and resilience of every mother. At VON, we are honored to walk beside you - encouraging families, supporting connection, and embracing parents as essential partners in quality care.

Today, we celebrate the heart and hands of neonatal care: our nurses. Your voice shapes care plans. Your insights fuel innovation. And your commitment ensures that every baby and family experiences safer, more equitable, and compassionate care. #neosky

Presented today at #PAS2025 by Nansi Boghossian using @vtoxfordnetwork.bsky.social data: Active Treatment and Survival Trends for Periviable Births by Race and Ethnicity. Read here: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Using data from @vtoxfordnetwork.bsky.social

Join us on Wednesday May 14th for a robust discussion on Eat Sleep Console. VON Grand Rounds are a free webinar and discussion series which seek to advance evidence-based quality improvement in newborn care. #neosky #VON bit.ly/ESCGrandRounds

April is HIE Awareness Month. Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is the standard of care in high-income countries for treatment of HIE due to perinatal asphyxia. We examined the use of TH for term and late preterm infants from 2012 to 2021 via our expanded database. #neosky bit.ly/4e9AOjR

Neonatal opioid withdrawal is triggered by the discontinuation of placental transmission of maternal opioids We will discuss how Eat – Sleep – Console addresses functional dimensions. Join us on May 14 at 12 (ET). bit.ly/ESCGrandRounds #NEOSKY

The Case of the Year, presented by VON and NANN, call for abstracts closes 4/1/25! To be considered as the Case of the Year and present at the 41th Annual Conference, submit an abstract today! This interactive presentation will explore a complex and unique clinical case. bit.ly/NANNCOY #neosky

National Doctors' Day, celebrated annually on March 30th, recognizes the dedication and contributions of physicians. Our physician colleagues are a key part of our multidisciplinary teams and practice continuous quality improvement. We are grateful for for their leadership and compassion. #neosky

Today is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day. CP is caused by brain damage that occurs before, during, or shortly after birth. Our ELBW database collects data and reports out information regarding the health of infants born within this age range. #neosky bit.ly/ELBWFU

Today we celebrate all the certified nurses! Part of certification renewal is to obtain a certain amount of CEUs and VON is here to support you! From our free Grand Rounds Webinars to our in-person conferences, VON has a variety of ways for you to earn CEUs. #neosky bit.ly/4gilovT

With patient safety in mind, VON participates in a variety of publications to help advance potentially better practices to the bedside. A full library of VON articles can be found at: public.vtoxford.org/research/ #nicu #n#nicu

National Patient Safety week is as important to the NICU as any other unit. At VON, we foster a culture of safety by offering supportive programs that help bedside providers provide safe and quality care, including a variety of webinars. public.vtoxford.org/evidence-based-resour...

Over the past 30 years we have come to understand that health and well-being are largely determined by SDOH. In a paper published in 2020, included are 68 potentially better practices that teams and individuals can commit to today to test and implement in the unit. #neosky bit.ly/4k9P1kQ

Follow through is different from the more typical practice of “follow up.” It is a comprehensive approach that health professionals, families, and communities must do to meet the social as well as medical needs of infants and families to achieve health equity. #neosky bit.ly/4kbevyf

The follow-through toolkit contains evidence-based guidance, interventions and other support to help teams address social determinants of health and help families get the best start to life beyond the NICU. To access this information, please visit: public.vtoxford.org/health-equity/