8/14/2019 Cimit Ghi Overview
1/2
GLOBAL HEALTH INITIATIVE
Almost one-half of the worlds populationnearly 3 billion
peoplelives on less than $2 a day and, for them and
millions more, access to healthcare is largely determined by
economics. Medical needs in low-resource regions
are daunting; however, by working with the local people and
focusing on critical targets, CIMITs Global HealthInitiative hopes
to make a significant impact in the following ways:
Identify leverage points for technology solutions to make local
healthcare practitioners more effective Develop instruments,
equipment and training programs for low-resource settings
CLINICAL PROBLEMS in GLOBAL HEALTH
Maternal and Child Health The Global Health Initiative is
focused on improving maternal and child health. In
developing regions around the globe, maternal and child health
suffer for complex reasons. At-home births are
often customary and preferred, usually occurring without the
presence of a skilled attendant, and most of the
529,000 women worldwide who die each year in childbirth or
post-delivery live in these austere environments.
Neonates in such areas are also at great risk4 million who are
born viable die within the first 28 days of life eachyear, and 98%
of these deaths are in under-served regions around the globe.
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES Communicable diseases account for 36% of
the total deaths in low- and middle-
income countries. One third of the worlds population is infected
with tuberculosis and approximately 40 million
people live with HIV/AIDS. A group of 13 tropical diseases are
collectively termed the neglected tropical
diseases and help comprise the most common chronic infections
among the worlds poorest people. Identifying
those with these infections and tracking their response to
treatment is often inaccurate or impossible, a
shortcoming that prevents the optimal use of precious medical
supplies.
SEEKING CLINICAL SOLUTIONS
CIMIT is working through its broad network of expertsboth in
the
US and abroadto identify both key problems and elegant
solutions.
Midwives, when available, have few tools and little training
on
methods to stop bleeding, ease complicated births, and ensure
clear
breath pathways of newborns. But, with relatively simple,
clinically-
tested interventions, many such premature deaths among
mothers
and infants are preventable, and new devices can be designed
for
more optimal performance in these settings.
For example, one of the first CIMIT-funded projects in the
Global
Health Initiative program is the development of a new type of
neonatal isolette made from auto parts, a resourcethat is widely
distributed throughout the world. This technology will be far less
susceptible to local conditions
such as fluctuations in power supply and weather, and parts for
repairs will be readily available and lower cost.
All too frequently, health providers in the developing world are
forced to practice in the absence of diagnostic
laboratories. A combination of a lack of infrastructure, high
costs, and the absence of trained personnel are all
barriers. However, recent innovations in diagnostic technologies
hold promise both in the identification of
patients in need and monitoring of their response to
treatment.
8/14/2019 Cimit Ghi Overview
2/2
One example is a CIMIT-funded project to support the development
of a CD4 cell counter that utilizes
microfluidic technology to help align diagnostic capability with
those most in need as anti-retroviral therapy for
HIV is scaled-up. This technology will require little training
to operate, will be of much lower cost than current
CD4 counters, and will be deployable in remote settings with
minimal infrastructure.
These problems cannot be solved with technology alone, but it is
an important part of the solution. Equally
important are the use of local expertise and a clear
understanding of site-specific resource constraints. By
including local people- both would-be patients and those who are
part of the existing health systems- as
consultants in the target communities, new initiatives can
overcome problems such as incorrect identification ofneeds and
distrust. Furthermore, training healthcare providers at the local
level with optimal tools and
techniques is necessary to improve outcomes and instill greater
confidence in the healthcare being provided. As
local people learn that high mortality rates are not inevitable,
healthcare assistance is more likely to be sought
when needed.
The INITIATIVE
The Global Health Initiative is led by Dr. Kristian Olson, an
internist/pediatrician on staff at the Massachusetts
General Hospital. Dr. Olson was a Fulbright Scholar to Australia
where he earned a Masters of Public Health
degree in Epidemiology and International Health. Dr. Olson was
also the first MGH Thomas S. Durant Fellow in
Refugee Medicine and obtained a diploma in Tropical Medicine
& Hygiene in London. Dr. Olson has served in
some of the most resource-poor settings in the world including
refugee camps along the Thai-Burmese border, in
tsunami-affected regions of Sumatra, and on health projects in
Cambodia, Kenya, and Darfur. He currently serves
as a board member of the Cambodian Health Committee.
Dr. Olson has worked with governments as well as local peoples
to identify needs and develop site-specific
solutions designed with the available resource constraints in
mind. In his role as Program Leader of the Global
Health Initiative, Dr. Olson will assist in the development of
innovative devices such as the afore-mentioned
isolette for neonates built from car parts.
Selected CIMIT Global Health Initiative Projects Car-part
isolette for neonates Development of a prototype microfluidic
detector enabling CD4 T cell counting in HIV/AIDS Disaster
response: a national priority addressing medical device surge
capacity Interdigitated electrodes for disposable HIV diagnostics
Integrated microfluidic platform for detection and diagnosis of
avian influenza
Kristian Olson, MD, MPH, DTM&H
CIMIT Program Leader
Global Health Initiative
[email protected]
Global Health Initiative Mission Statement
To improve the effectiveness of health care providers in
low-resource settings through the development of
targeted technologies and by catalyzing effective training.
CIMIT
CIMIT fosters and nurtures interdisciplinary collaborationsamong
world-class experts in medicine, engineering andscience, in concert
with industry and government, to rapidlyimprove patient care. A
non-profit consortium of Boston-areateaching hospitals, engineering
schools and laboratories,CIMIT provides innovators with resources
to explore, develop,
and implement novel technological solutions for todays
mosturgent healthcare problems. For more information, contactCIMIT
Communications at [email protected] call
1-617-643-3830. Please visit www.cimit.org.
