The Oscar–winning founder of parenting and breastfeeding app Anya has been awarded a prestigious NHS fellowship as she continues to roll out her technology.
Dr Chen Mao Davies, founder and CEO at Anya, has become an NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) fellow in recognition of her innovative work in healthcare. The fellowship will allow her to “gain a deeper understanding of the needs, challenges and possibilities for digitally enabled care across the health and social care system”
She is one of 17 fellows named this year. In total the NIA programme has supported 85 innovations, with 60 having scaled internationally.
The Anya app uses interactive 3D technology and AI to deliver parenting and breastfeeding support 24/7.
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Dr Davies founded her business in 2015 after she had her son Oscar and struggled to breastfeed. Her app, originally known as LatchAid, is designed to help mothers - and also to help the UK improve its breastfeeding rates, which are among the lowest in the world.
Before founding her business she worked in film special effects, winning Oscar and BAFTA awards for her work on Gravity and Blade Runner 2049.
Dr Davies said, “After I became a mother, I discovered that innovation is needed in public health. It was always my dream to be part of Hollywood, but I found I could do something more; I could change people’s lives. The more I spoke to mothers about it, the more it made me feel that this was to become my mission. If I don’t do it, who else will?”.
Anya has now supported parents in more than 100 countries. In the UK, Anya has seen its users breastfeeding at double the national average - and it has secured partnerships with NHS providers and health systems across the UK to make it available to a population of over 4.3m. She was listed in BusinessLive's 22 rising stars for Women in Business 2022.
Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive of NHS England said: “We need innovation now more than ever before. If we think about the increasing level of demand on the NHS, innovation is not just a nice to have, it’s an essential if we are going to do what we need to for today’s patients but put ourselves in the best possible position to care for tomorrow’s patients as well”.
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