April 2021

Shift Labs presents on results of Safe Access to Maternal Medications (SAMM) study

Shift Labs presented the results of their Safe Access to Maternal Medications (SAMM) study, which ran from 2018-2020 at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and was funded by USAID’s Saving Lives at Birth Grand Challenge. This study measured how a novel IV infusion monitoring device, the DripAssist Infusion Rate Monitor, would impact medication administration and the incidence of side effects and complications in the KNH labor ward. Preliminary data analysis for magnesium sulphate showed that DripAsist both improved infusion accuracy and led to a statistically significant reduction in frequency of side effects-- notably, stomach pain, headaches, flushing, and nausea. The virtual seminar hit capacity with over 1,000 attendees.

CII’s Merrick Schaefer receives NextGen Public Service Innovator of the Year award

CII’s Senior Digital Health Advisor Merrick Schaefer was recently awarded one of two 2021 Innovator of the Year awards as part of the 2021 NextGen Public Service Awards, which recognizes superior public service and achievement. The awards are given to deserving individuals selected from the public service community across the federal, state and local government for their intelligence, exuberance and dedication to improving and invigorating government. Each award winner will also be recognized during the upcoming NextGen Government Training Virtual Summit on Aug. 4-5, 2021.

Innovations in Healthcare Partnership 10th Anniversary Annual Forum

Ten years ago, the Innovations in Healthcare Partnership was launched at the World Economic Forum and is now hosted at Duke University’s Global Health Innovation Center (GHIC). GHIC, in collaboration with CII, organized a joint session titled Sourcing Promising Innovations as part of the 10th Anniversary Annual Forum Series with ~150 attendees. CII’s Acting Director Amy Lin moderated the panel, with Sunil Wadwhani of the WISH Foundation, Orin Levine of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Estherlyn Peters of Last Mile Health as discussants who emphasized listening to end-user communities, targeting root cause issues, and engaging governments. In addition, CII’s Innovation Advisor Ankunda Kariisa gave a lightning talk on CII’s Global Health Innovation Index [PDF, 4.5MB].

E-learning course on Market Shaping and Introduction Planning for Global Health

To promote understanding of innovative, business-minded approaches for global health, CII has developed publicly available e-learning courses. Learners engage with CII team member avatars, embedded videos, interactive case studies, animations, and downloadable resources. This month we are featuring our Market Shaping and Introduction Planning for Global Health Training. This one-hour e-learning course reviews a market shaping pathway to guide decision-making and examines strategic planning stages for introduction and scale up of global health products. At the end of this course, learners will understand how to apply market shaping and scale for impact concepts in their own contexts and where to access additional resources. We hope you enjoy this this interactive, informative, and (we think) fun training module!