Our Vision

All pregnant women should have access to life-saving ultrasound diagnostics.

Our Mission

NYAGI Project empowers local healthcare workers in resource-poor areas how to triage life-threatening health conditions through accelerated, low-cost ultrasound skills training.

Our Vision

All pregnant women should have access to life-saving ultrasound diagnostics.

Our Mission

NYAGI Project empowers local healthcare workers in resource-poor areas how to triage life-threatening health conditions through accelerated, low-cost ultrasound skills training.

Background

NYAGI (acronym for: Now You Are the Group’s Interest) represents that pregnant woman living in remote areas without access to prenatal ultrasound services. Every 2 minutes, a mother somewhere dies of pregnancy complications, the daily equivalent of 2 fully occupied 747 jumbo jets crashing with no survivors. Most of these deaths are avoidable and occur in isolated communities.

To help prevent these unnecessary deaths, in 2013, NYAGI Project was established as a non-profit 501(c)(3) public charitable organization focused on ultrasound education. Its founder, award-winning educator and physician Cliff Gronseth, M.D., recognized that the emerging medical technology portable ultrasound could have a profound global impact. He saw a need to create an efficient, scalable, empowering teaching system for basic ultrasound skills. Harnassing the power of technology has unprecedented potential for improving healthcare and saving lives in underserved areas of the world.

Dr. Gronseth developed NAV™ educational software to support an innovative teaching model based on two fundamental tenets: Collaboration and Empowerment.

Collaboration

NYAGI Project works with local partners to empower local medical providers. These on-site NGOs and government agencies enable the most fluid access to appropriate clinical delivery systems necessary to reach women in need.

The formation of strong partnerships translates into an efficient pooling of resources. Partnerships are fundamental to NYAGI Project’s philosophy and operations, reflected in its tagline, “Saving Lives with Ultrasound… Together.”

Supporting Rural Healthcare

Instead of flying in for one-off expert assistance, NYAGI Project supports enduring and scalable solutions by combining its Train-the-Trainer program with remote back-up support.

Accelerated learning protocols focus on identifying select life-threatening complications. Successful completion of the training does not require advanced prior medical qualifications and is possible for midwives and birth attendants.

By enabling trainees to teach others, this approach multiplies the number of healthcare workers skilled in basic ultrasound diagnostics, increasing access for women in need. Other major advantages are that NYAGI Project’s skills development system is fast, effective and low-cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • All pregnant women should have access to life-saving ultrasound diagnostics. To realize this vision, NYAGI Project teaches local healthcare workers in underserved areas how to triage life-threatening health conditions through ultrasound. We also teach other life-saving diagnostic skills such as COVID-19 lung disease, bleeding in the abdomen and pelvis, blood clots, bone fractures, joint infections and more.

  • Every 2 minutes a woman dies of from pregnancy or childbirth, equivalent to two 747 planes crashing every day. Most of these deaths occur in remote areas and are preventable.

    To combat this sad statistic, NYAGI Project was established in 2013 by Dr. Cliff Gronseth, a physician in Boulder, Colorado, USA., with a passion for bringing ultrasound to the world.

  • NYAGI Project’s approach is unique. We harness the power of technology to teach healthcare workers diagnostic ultrasound. We also repurpose iPads and iPhones equipped with 7D Imaging’s unique NAV educational software to provide ongoing educational tools. The iPads and iPhones accelerate learning and help health workers and mothers recognize life-threatening conditions requiring higher level care.

    We empower local medical providers with knowledge and technological tools to teach diagnostic ultrasound. We aim for sustainable and scalable projects that elevate the quality of regional healthcare in remote areas.

  • NYAGI Project relies on dedicated expert volunteers, among them: certified sonographers, physicians, nurses, retired professionals, university students, and community members. They contribute by teaching ultrasound skills, organizing logistics, programming software, raising funds and mobilizing resources, preparing written and visual documentation, conducting research and assessment. Guided by its motto, “Saving Lives with Ultrasound...Together,” NYAGI Project works closely with in-country partners to maximize resources and impact.

  • NYAGI Project provided hands-on training in Nepal (2016 and 2017) and Haiti (2019 and 2020). COVID forced us to develop and fine-tune our remote teaching. In 2020, we focused on teaching ultrasound skills to diagnose COVID pneumonia, and continued our pre-natal and emergency medicine ultrasound trainings. In 2021 we are teaching ultrasound in Nicaragua and Tanzania.

  • In Nepal, NYAGI Project trained 60 Skilled Birth Attendants working in 30 different clinics, many in remote areas. Data from One Heart Worldwide, our Nepalese partner, indicate about 10 mothers are referred each month for advanced medical care based on ultrasound findings. We consider that 10 mothers plus 10 babies saved. In Haiti, NYAGI Project trained 28 physicians and nurses, working in 21 clinics serving a diverse population. Referral data based on ultrasound findings are pending.

  • NYAGI Project repurposes preowned iPads and iPhones and donates them to local partners. These geo-tracked devices serve 4 functions. They (1) display ultrasound images; (2) provide a “teacher-in-a-box” program, enabling training participants to reference for step-by-step instructions; (3) enable continuing remote support from the NYAGI Project team; and (4) support communication among the trainees themselves, thus helping build a strong local network to help women in need.

  • NYAGI Project is not affiliated with any religious or political organizations. We provide our services free of charge, based on need, irrespective of religious or political affiliation, nationality, race, ethnicity or other factors.

  • NYAGI is an acronym that stands for “Now You Are the Group’s Interest.” It also represents the name of mothers with limited access to healthcare and diagnostic imaging. It’s an expression of inclusive, community-based caring for those in need.

  • Yes! NYAGI Project is an IRS Code 501(c)(3) recognized public charity.

Cliff Gronseth, M.D. | Founder & Chair

Dr. Cliff Gronseth has been a passionate advocate for ultrasound for over 20 years and started NYAGI Project to share ultrasound’s live-saving power with the world.

The NYAGI Team

  • Afandi Mulahi

    Executive Director

  • Alex Halpern, JD

    Board of Directors

    Lawyer and NYAGI Legal Advisor

  • Arlana Franklin

    Board of Directors

    Sonographer

  • Arlene Samen, APRN

    Advisory Board

    Founder, One Heart Worldwide

  • Beiyi Xu

    Intern, Projects

  • Catherine Schaefer

    Associate Director, Projects

  • Cliff Gronseth, M.D.

    NYAGI Founder and Board Chair

  • David Vergoz, MBA

    Board of Directors

    CEO, Blackwood Finance and Accounting

  • Donna Sceusa, BA/RDMS/RVT

    Board of Directors

    Sonographer

  • Emma Latham-Timmons

    Intern, Projects

  • Jason Houston

    Advisory Board

    Photographer and Filmmaker

  • Jim Grigsby, PhD

    Advisory Board

    Researcher, University of Colorado

  • Karla Rikansrud

    Advisory Board

    Grant Writer and Fundraiser

  • Lerby Exantus, MD

    Instructor, Haiti

    Radiologist

  • Nico Toutenhoofd, BFA

    Advisory Board

    Founder, Insight Designs

  • Patty Kelly, RN, BS

    Instructor, HBS/HMS Program

  • Richard Green

    Advisory Board

    Former CEO, Cable Labs

  • Shiva Pandian

    Intern, Marketing

  • Steve Rotholz, M.D.

    Board of Directors

    OB-Gyn; Professor, University of Colorado Anschutz

  • Walt Freese

    Advisory Board

    Former CEO, Ben & Jerry’s and Stonyfield Farm; Former President, Celestial Seasonings

  • Willem Van Vliet, PhD

    Advisory Board

    Professor Emeritus, University of Colorado

  • Shannon Francis-Clegg RN, BSN, MBA, IBCLC

    Board of Directors

    Sonographer