Project Summary/Abstract: Career Goals: This is a resubmission for a K23 Career Development Award for Melissa Morgan, MD, MSc, who is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Her previous research has centered on implementation of neonatal interventions in East Africa and India. In this award, she aims to build on her preliminary work evaluating the use of kangaroo mother care (KMC) in clinically unstable neonates in Uganda. Dr. Morgan is committed to a career in academic neonatology, focused on conducting clinical trials and health systems research to improve newborn health in low-resource settings. The skills and experience she will gain from this K23 award will prepare her to compete for an R01 proposal to conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing the effect of KMC to incubator care on early mortality in clinically unstable neonates ≤2000 grams, with an accompanying cost-effectiveness and economic evaluation. Environment: Dr. Morgan has the full and enthusiastic support of UCSF, which has a tradition of excellence in clinical research and global health with many investigators pursuing innovative ideas in maternal and child health in low and middle-income countries. UCSF provides substantial support for junior faculty. Key Elements of Research Career Development Plan: Dr. Morgan is a neonatologist with a strong background in clinical research in low-resource settings. She has experience in study design, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, scientific writing, and managing research teams. While these experiences have provided a robust foundation, there are three areas where she requires additional training in order to achieve her career goals, including 1) advanced training in KMC and implementation science, 2) skills in cost- effectiveness and economic analysis, and 3) advanced training in statistical issues affecting clinical trials and experience conducting a pilot trial. Dr. Morgan has assembled an outstanding training and mentoring team led by her primary mentor, George Rutherford, MD, FAAP, Professor of Epidemiology, Preventive Medicine, and Pediatrics, Vice Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Director of the Prevention and Public Health Group at UCSF, who has expertise in pediatric implementation science and epidemiology in low-resource settings. Her co-mentors are Joy Lawn, MBBS, MPH, PhD, Professor and Director of the Maternal, Adolescent, Reproductive, and Child Health (MARCH) Center at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), who developed the evidence base to address the global burden of neonatal mortality and played a leading role in evaluating KMC as a public health intervention, and Peter Waiswa, MBChB, MPH, PhD, Associate Professor of Health Policy and Planning and Director of the Maternal and Newborn Center of Excellence at Makerere University in Uganda, who has extensive experience employing research interventions ...