Crossmedicine Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture; Representative Director and CEO: Koji Nakai) is pleased to announce that it has appointed Yusuke Tsugawa, Associate Professor at the UCLA School of Medicine and School of Public Health and a leading expert in healthcare data science and health policy, as an advisor (academic advisor) for its AI childcare support app, “Awa Baby.”
Significance for society: A new form of preventive medicine
In Japanese society, where the declining birthrate and postpartum depression are becoming increasingly serious issues, using technology to visualize “why babies cry” and alleviate the anxiety and isolation of caregivers goes beyond mere app development and is positioned as a “social intervention.” With Tsukawa’s involvement, the field of childcare—which has traditionally relied on intuition—will now incorporate an evidence-based preventive healthcare perspective in a comprehensive manner. This signifies that childcare support is evolving into a socially -implemented model that combines emotional empathy with scientific evidence and institutional collaboration.
Yusuke Tsugawa Profile
- Current position: Associate Professor, UCLA School of Medicine and School of Public Health; Representative Director, Health Policy Society; Physician
- Specialized fields: Healthcare data science, health policy studies, health economics
- Career summary: Completed doctoral program at Harvard University. Published numerous papers in JAMA Intern Med, BMJ, and other journals. Worked at St. Luke’s International Hospital and the World Bank before assuming current position in 2017. Director (independent) of M3 Inc., Representative Director of the Japan Society for Health Policy, and Director of the Japan Health Policy Institute.
Significance for companies: Creating growth drivers through “childcare × preventive medicine”
Awa Baby is already used by over 20,000 users, and in March 2025, it launched Awa Baby Pro for corporations, marking its full-scale entry into corporate welfare support and postpartum care services. Mr. Tsugawa’s participation is not merely as a technical and research advisor, but as a driver of business growth across four areas: healthcare, public policy, research and development, and corporate strategy.
As a result, the following areas are expected to see enhanced corporate value:
- Evidence-based product design: Scientifically predicting and preventing postpartum depression, parenting difficulties, and developmental issues
- Accelerating collaboration with companies and local governments: Promoting social implementation through collaboration with nurseries, obstetrics and gynecology clinics, and local governments
- Intellectual support for global expansion: Support for international expansion into North America, Southeast Asia, etc. from a policy perspective
Comment from Yusuke Tsugawa
“Awa Baby” is a seemingly unique initiative that analyzes babies’ cries using AI, but it also incorporates an approach that is extremely socially significant in that it alleviates the anxiety of caregivers and leads to the prevention of postpartum depression.
CrossMedicine’s consistent achievements in hypothesizing, verifying, and implementing AI in the unexplored field of “babies’ cries” are extremely rare and prove that it is an executable team. Additionally, the company employs engineers with expertise in analyzing complex unstructured data such as voice, speech, and development. These engineers not only possess technical knowledge but also the sensitivity to discern what is truly challenging for users and the ability to translate that into product design. Furthermore, the company’s commitment to UI/UX design that transforms the “hardship” of childcare into a “slightly enjoyable experience” further enhances the product’s overall quality.
The company is staffed by young, promising members specializing in medicine, AI, and mental health, and the accuracy and scalability of its proprietary voice analysis algorithm is internationally advanced in its ability to classify highly individualized signals such as crying at a practical level. This has broader application potential beyond childcare support, such as monitoring infant development and analyzing speech patterns.
While I specialize in data science and AI at UCLA, CrossMedicine’s business starts with the personal challenge of childcare but has the scalability to impact social security cost reduction, corporate productivity improvement, and measures against the declining birthrate. I am confident that it is one of the few healthcare startups that can balance social impact and growth.
Resonating with its future potential and social significance, I have decided to join as an advisor. I will contribute to the challenge of redefining the future of childcare and healthcare by bridging medicine, policy, and technology.
Comment from Ko Nakai (Representative Director of our company)
I met Professor Tsugawa while I was studying abroad at Stanford University through the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Tobitate! Study Abroad Japan program.
Professor Tsugawa always emphasizes evidence-based decision-making and has an unwavering judgmental axis when it comes to initiatives that have a social impact. I was deeply impressed by his sincere attitude.
In this era of rapid technological innovation and social change, I believe that maintaining a clear vision of where a business should be heading and continuously questioning what truly constitutes ‘value necessary for society’ is essential for creating a sustainable healthcare business.
Through this collaboration, we aim to develop ‘Awa Baby’ not merely as a childcare support app, but as a societal infrastructure for preventive healthcare rooted in science and empathy.”
future developments
| domain | promotion details | social return |
| preventive medicine | Prevention of postpartum depression and developmental support for infants and toddlers | Reducing medical costs for mental illness and improving the quality of life for mothers and children |
| health management | Expansion of welfare benefits introduction for corporations with “Awa Baby Pro” | Lower turnover rate, increased productivity |
| Development of products based on technology and evidence | Creating new approaches using voice analysis technology that utilizes deep learning as a fundamental technology and generative AI. | New business synergies with different fields, such as mental health, abnormal machine sound detection, and AI-based call operations. |
| regional cooperation | Joint demonstration with local governments and medical institutions | Connection with child-rearing support policies, contribution to measures to address declining birthrates |
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