Respiratory infections are leading causes of pediatric death globally and one of the leading causes in Liberia. Many of these deaths can be prevented with adequate supportive respiratory therapies like supplemental oxygen and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). We have worked closely with the Liberian Ministry of Health to make oxygen more readily available in Liberia, but CPAP has been rarely implemented in Liberia to date. In a recent partnership with Indiana University, Boston Children's Hospital, and the National Pediatric Emergency Room at JFK Hospital in Liberia, we have launched a program to establish a sustainable pediatric CPAP program in Liberia. This program, Interventions to Reduce Childhood Mortality due to Pneumonia in Liberia (IMPeL)  began in April 2025. 

An integral part of this is ongoing respiratory care education and CPAP equipment maintenance. The head professor of the LRCI, Ebenezer Zoefly, provides these services. Ebenezer is a senior respiratory therapist in Liberia with expertise in pediatric emergency care. Click here to read more about IMPeL.