In 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted several resolutions acknowledging the need for appropriate and affordable medical devices in low-to-middle income countries and recognizing that key public health priorities cannot be achieved without such devices. Whether it is a child on the street dragging himself forward by his hands for the lack of a prosthetic limb or a mother hemorrhaging at childbirth due to untreated complications, patients suffer vastly due to the paucity of cheap medical technology that is appropriate for low-resource settings. This is the inspiration for my career, bolstered by my experiences of such healthcare challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Stated simply, my goal is the following: to bring healthcare products to underserved populations, especially in the emerging markets. Today, I work to manage commercialization and delivery of medical products in these settings.
While technology innovation is critical, the products with greatest impact require significant business model innovation. I want to build solutions that take entire health systems into account and create sustainable, market-based processes that work in developing countries. Solving entrenched healthcare problems requires an organization that successfully employs the “tri-sector” approach – engaging governments, non-profits and corporations – in order to improve healthcare outcomes in the global South. I want to bring high impact medical technologies to patients, and play my part in achieving global public health priorities and transforming healthcare delivery.