Welcome to CSAR and Research4Babies
Welcome to CSAR – the Centre for the Studies of Asphyxia and Resuscitation, an international neonatal research network headquartered at the University of Alberta, Canada, with research centres in Edmonton, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, and collaborators across the globe.
Founded in 2014, CSAR was established with a single mission: to improve the lives of newborn infants and their families through collaborative research. Today, our multidisciplinary team brings together clinicians, scientists, educators, engineers, trainees, parents, and international partners to advance neonatal care from the delivery room through long-term childhood outcomes.
Our research focuses on understanding the physiological transition from fetal to neonatal life, including the respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, and metabolic adaptations that occur immediately after birth. We develop and evaluate innovative strategies that improve neonatal resuscitation, respiratory support, cardiovascular stabilization, neuroprotection, and long-term health for both preterm and term infants.
CSAR's research program spans the full spectrum of discovery - from basic laboratory science, animal models, simulation research, implementation science, artificial intelligence, and translational research to multi centre randomized clinical trials. By integrating these complementary approaches, we transform scientific discoveries into evidence that changes clinical practice.
Today, CSAR is recognized as an international leader in neonatal resuscitation science, multi-centre clinical trials, and knowledge translation. Our investigators contribute to national and international clinical guidelines, policy statements, educational programs, and implementation initiatives that influence newborn care worldwide.
Our international research network continues to expand through strategic partnerships across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and low- and middle-income countries. The recent establishment of CSAR Shanghai and CSAR Shenzhen represents another important milestone in our commitment to building global collaborations that improve outcomes for newborn infants through shared expertise, innovation, and education.
What does Research4Babies / CSAR do?
Research4Babies.org is the public outreach platform of CSAR.
Our goal is to make neonatal research accessible to everyone - families, healthcare professionals, trainees, researchers, and the wider community. Through blogs, videos, podcasts, infographics, and educational resources, we translate complex scientific discoveries into clear, engaging, and evidence-based stories that demonstrate how research improves the care of newborn infants.
Research4Babies also highlights the people behind the science - our investigators, trainees, international collaborators, and partner institutions - while showcasing the clinical trials and discoveries that are shaping the future of neonatal medicine.
Together, CSAR and Research4Babies share one vision:
Improving the lives of every newborn through collaborative research.
Neonatal resuscitation training for health professionals (RETAIN)
Healthcare professionals working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are often required to respond rapidly to high-stress delivery room emergencies.
RETAIN is an innovative neonatal resuscitation training program designed to support learning, decision-making, and teamwork in these critical moments. RETAIN uses realistic, scenario-based training grounded in real-life deliveries, allowing learners to practice clinical decision-making, task execution, stress management, and team communication.
The program complements existing neonatal resuscitation education and is accessible on demand, enabling healthcare professionals to build and maintain skills anytime and anywhere.
RETAIN was developed by a multidisciplinary team including physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, educators, designers, and computer scientists, with the shared goal of improving access to high-quality neonatal resuscitation training worldwide.
What is RETAIN?
RETAIN is a simulation-based neonatal resuscitation training program developed by the Centre for the Studies of Asphyxia and Resuscitation (CSAR) to support clinical decision-making and team performance during newborn resuscitation. The program is commercially available to institutions and educators through RETAIN Labs Medical (https://retainlabsmedical.com).
CSAR is supported by:
