June 2018

Where Art Meets Science: BUMP Performance at SL@B DevelopmentXChange

We are excited to announce that this year's DevelopmentXChange will feature a performance of scenes from BUMP, this year’s mainstage production of the EST/Sloan Project, inspired by Jorge Odón, the Argentinian car mechanic and innovator behind the SL@B-supported Odon Device. Join us for a panel of special guests following the production who will discuss the inspiration behind the play, the role of innovation at the intersection of art and science, and the importance of partnerships to make it all happen. "If you are pregnant, if you have been pregnant, if you have resulted from a pregnancy, you will probably find it very funny." – The New York Times

WHO Preferred Product Characteristics for Personal Protective Equipment

USAID’s Fighting Ebola Grand Challenge identified innovations for improving Ebola response efforts, including redesigning personal protective equipment (PPE) for improved healthcare worker comfort and safety. As a result, this work inspired the development of Preferred Product Characteristics (PPCs) for PPE for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers in Tropical Climates, which aim to provide guidance for industry, health workers, engineers, innovators, medical, and scientific researchers to create a better PPE system that will increase the comfort and safety of healthcare workers responding to Ebola or other viral hemorrhagic fevers in tropical climates.

USAID facilitated the development of a Technical Advisory Committee with members from WHO, UNICEF, MSF, USAID, CDC, healthcare workers, and academic and governmental organizations, which convened to update WHO guidance for PPE procurement and use for viral hemorrhagic fevers and to identify specific characteristics that would make PPE more comfortable and safe for use in tropical climates.

CII Sessions at Aspen Ideas Festival:Design Thinking and Innovative Financing

At Spotlight Health, the opening segment of the annual Aspen Ideas Festival, CII and partners spoke on two panels discussing nontraditional approaches to global health in order to reach our Sustainable Development Goals. One session, Design Thinking: A New Strategy for Shaping Global Health shared the  value of design as a  novel approach that promotes human-centered, financially viable solutions that address long-languishing problems. The second session, On the Frontier of Global Health Financing, shared opportunities in innovative financing to attract new pools of funding in global health while generating rewards for achieving positive health outcomes.

WHO Digital Health Resolution with USAID Support

USAID, working with other U.S. government representatives, contributed to the WHO digital health resolution which was approved at the World Health Assembly in May this year. The digital health resolution describes the importance of nationally-supported digital health strategies, country ownership, supporting and investing in an enabling environment (e.g., policy, standards, interoperability, privacy and security, etc.) and more. To learn more about digital health, and USAID’s role, please visit USAID’s digital health webpage.

Innovator Insights: Illuminating the Path for Tomorrow’s Inventors

There’s a critical need to cultivate innovators and entrepreneurs that are well-equipped to solve global health challenges and create lasting impact. The VentureWell report, Innovator Insights: Illuminating the Path for Tomorrow’s Innovators, highlights valuable findings and best practices around embarking on a journey in global health innovation and entrepreneurship. This report was made possible by USAID/CII, The Lemelson Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Download the report.