Yusuke Tsugawa, Associate Professor at UCLA School of Medicine, becomes an advisor for "Awabebi. Creating Social Impact by Integrating Preventive Medicine and Childcare Support

- The following is content from the press release -

(Head office: Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture; CEO: Koga Nakai), a leading healthcare data science and health policy expert and associate professor at the UCLA School of Medicine and Public Health in the United States, has developed the AI childcare support app "Awabebi".Yusuke Tsugawaas an advisor (academic advisor) to the company.

Significance to Society: New Forms of Preventive Medicine

In Japanese society, where the birthrate is declining and postpartum depression is becoming more serious, using technology to visualize "why babies cry" and reduce anxiety and isolation among childcare providers is positioned as a "social intervention "** that goes beyond mere app development.

With Tsugawa's participation, the field of childcare, which until now has relied on the senses,Perspectives on Evidence-Based Preventive Medicinewill be introduced in earnest. This means that parenting support is not only emotional empathy,Social implementation model with scientific rationale and institutional linkagesThis means evolving to

Profile of Yusuke Tsugawa

• Current position: Associate Professor, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine and Public Health; President, Health Policy Society; Physician
• Areas of expertise: healthcare data science, healthcare policy studies, healthcare economics
• Biography: Completed his doctoral studies at Harvard University, and has published numerous articles in JAMA Intern Med, BMJ, and other journals. After working at St. Luke's International Hospital and the World Bank, he has been in his current position since 2017. Director of M3 (independent), Representative Director of the Japan Society for Health Policy Studies, and Director of the Japan Health Policy Organization. 

Significance to the company: Formation of a growth driver in "childcare x preventive medicine

Awabebi" has already been used by more than 20,000 users, and in March 2025, we will launch "Awabebi Pro" for corporate users to support corporate welfare programs and enter the postpartum care business in earnest.

Mr. Tsugawa's participation this time is not just a mere technical and research advisor,Business growth drivers across the four areas of healthcare, public policy, R&D, and corporate strategyThe acquisition of the new company is expected to increase the company's value in the following areas. This is expected to increase corporate value in the following areas:

• Evidence-based product designScientific Prediction and Prevention of Postpartum Depression, Childcare Difficulties, and Development
• Accelerate collaboration with companies and local governmentsSocial implementation promotion through collaboration with nursery schools, obstetrics and gynecology, and local government
• Intellectual support for global expansionSupport for international expansion to North America, Southeast Asia, etc. from a policy perspective

Comment from Yusuke Tsugawa

Awabebi" is a seemingly unique approach that uses AI to analyze a baby's cries, but it is also an approach of great social significance in that it helps to reduce anxiety and prevent postpartum depression.

CrossMedicine's consistent results in hypothesizing, testing, and implementing solutions in the unexplored area of "baby cries" have proven to be extremely rare, and the team has proven to be a strong executor. The company has engineers with expertise in analyzing complex unstructured data such as voice, speech, and development, and they possess not only technical knowledge but also the sensitivity to recognize "what is really difficult for users" and the ability to incorporate this into products. We have engineers who have experience in the field of childcare. In addition to functionality, our commitment to UI/UX that transforms the "pain" of child-rearing into a "fun experience" also enhances the completeness of our products.

The group has young and promising members specializing in medicine, AI, mental health, etc. The accuracy and scalability of the originally constructed speech analysis algorithm is very advanced internationally in terms of its ability to classify highly individualized signals such as crying at a practical level. This has potential not only for childcare support, but also for a wider range of applications, such as monitoring infant development and analyzing speech tendencies.

I specialize in data science and AI at UCLA, and I am convinced that Cross Medicine's business is one of the few healthcare startups that can combine social and growth, starting from the individual issue of childcare, but with scalability that can spill over to curbing social security costs, improving corporate productivity, and combating declining birthrates. We are convinced that we are one of the few healthcare startups that can achieve both social and growth.

We are pleased to participate in this project as an advisor because of its promise and social significance. I will contribute to the challenge of redefining the future of child-rearing and medical care by connecting medicine, policy, and technology in a cross-functional manner.

Koga Nakai (CEO, Cross Medicine Inc.) commented

I met Dr. Tsugawa when I was a research student at Stanford University through the MEXT's "Tobitate! I met Dr. Tsugawa when I was a research student at Stanford University through the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's "Tobitate!

Dr. Tsugawa always emphasizes evidence-based decision making and has an unwavering axis of judgment for initiatives with social impact. I was strongly impressed by his sincere attitude.

In this era of rapid technological innovation and rapidly changing social conditions, we do not lose sight of where our business should be heading, and we feel that an attitude of constantly asking "what value is truly necessary for society" is essential for creating a sustainable healthcare business.

Through our participation in this project, we intend to develop the "Awabebi" service not only as a mere childcare support application, but also as a social infrastructure for preventive medicine based on science and empathy.

Future Development (Impact Investment Perspective)

For inquiries, please contact

Cross Medicine Inc.
From the web inquiry page:https://awababy.tech/contact/