History and Mission

We are on a mission to improve the lives of
children in Armenia

We believe in putting the right knowledge and tools in the hands of capable health care providers. We aim to bring experts from around the world and in Armenia together to deliver healthcare for the better in the short-term and the long-term.

At OPEN we strive to

Empower physicians

by providing right knowledge and tools

Democratize knowledge

by thinking online first

Champion systemic change

by engaging with local leaders and thinkers

How we got started

Our involvement in this work began at the request of the Armenian Eyecare Project (AECP) in 2009. Armenia had seen a rise in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) that resulted from the increasing survival of their premature infants with the introduction of NICUs.

The resulting epidemic of ROP related blindness created an urgent need for training programs. With the success of our first program, it became clear that the need for advanced medical education existed throughout Armenia’s health care system, including NICU nurses and neonatologists. This need led to CHLA, AECP, and USAID joining with the Armenian government to create the Armenian Association of Neonatal Medicine. Building on that early success, the program expanded into other areas of need such as endocrinology, cardiology, and general pediatrics.