Innovation for Day One Speakers & Sessions Summary

The inaugural Innovation for Day One conference was held at Rice University's Bioscience Research Collaborative building on September 25-27, 2024. Attendees and speakers reflected on making an impact and prioritizing opportunities to end preventable newborn and maternal deaths in underserved settings across the world. The following summarizes the sessions of the three-day conference. Recordings are linked where available.

WEDNESDAY – SEPTEMBER 25, 2024

WEDNESDAY – SEPTEMBER 25, 2024
WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS

Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Rice University, Executive Vice President for Research. Ramamoorthy Ramesh welcomed the conference attendees and speakers to Rice University to begin the Innovation for Day One Conference.

Rebecca Richards-Kortum, Rice University, Malcolm Gillis University Professor, Professor of Bioengineering, Co-Director of Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies, Co-Chair of NEST360. Richards-Kortum introduced the focus of the Innovation for Day One Conference: How Innovation Can Make a Difference for Moms and Babies at the Beginning of Life. She acknowledged that the inspiration for this conference came from Saving Lives at Birth (SL@B). She expressed her hope that Innovation for Day One will leave attendees with a feeling of inspiration and energized to lead the science that really makes science matter.

Yvette Mirabal, Rice University, Rice360 Executive Director. Yvette Mirabal welcomed the attendees to the Innovation for Day One Conference. She introduced that the conference would include a focus on the need to improve healthcare globally and within the US, where the maternal death rate is the worst of any developed country.

SESSION 1: MATERNAL HEALTH INNOVATION

Tore Laerdal, Laerdal Executive Chairman & Co-Founder of Laerdal Global Health. Tore Laerdal provided the morning introductory presentation reflecting on the importance of innovating for impact, the SL@B goals that continue to be addressed, and the importance of supporting the mother and baby dyad to improve health outcomes.

Amy Cannon, Jhpiego at Johns Hopkins University. Amy Cannon spoke about the impact of newborn health innovations in the maternal and newborn health community and the work of Jhpiego.

Juliane Sempionatto, Rice University, James J. Truchard endowed chair, Assistant Professor of the Electrical Computer Engineering Department. Juliane Sempionatto discussed wearables for health monitoring and point-of-care devices that include wearables for monitoring conditions such as glucose, creatinine, hemoglobin, anemia, blood pressure, and kidney function. She discussed how these technologies can be applied to maternal and newborn health.

J. Mark Ansermino, Executive Medical Director for Global Health at British Columbia Children’s Hospital. Mark Ansermino presented on Mothers and Newborns at the Time of Birth. He discussed using artificial intelligence modeling that used data from mothers and babies to predict outcomes and establish risk-stratified care.

ORAL ABSTRACTS: MATERNAL HEALTH INNOVATIONS

J. Mark Ansermino. Titrating oxygen based on pulse oximeter

Vibhav Joshi. Saving lives in tribal districts with next-generation fetal monitors

Kiara Lee. The association of racism and discrimination in disparities of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in the United States: An analysis of pregnancy risk assessment monitoring system (PRAMS) data

ORAL ABSTRACTS: DIGITAL HEALTH INNOVATIONS

Nathan Bliss. Accuracy and Usability of a Novel Wearable Device for Continuous Noninvasive Blood Pressure Monitoring in Neonates

ORAL ABSTRACTS: COMMERCIALIZATION, SCALE, & SUSTAINABILITY

Natish Jangir. Study of a state-level implementation of innovative CPAP and HFNC for newborn in low-resource settings

PANEL DISCUSSION: FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER (FQHC) LEADERSHIP

Addressing maternal health in underserved communities. A panel discussion moderated by Luz Garcini, Rice University, assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences, with Marlen Trujillo of the Spring Branch Community Health Center, Esperanza “Hope” Galvan of Harris Health System, and Charlene Flash of Avenue360 and the Baylor College of Medicine.

THURSDAY – SEPTEMBER 26, 2024

THURSDAY – SEPTEMBER 26, 2024
WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS

Rebecca Richards-Kortum, Malcolm Gillis University Professor, Professor of Bioengineering, Co-Director of Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies, Co-Chair of NEST360. Rebecca Richards-Kortum opened the second day of the conference.

PANEL DISCUSSION: USAID SL@B ALUMNI

Saving Lives at Birth (SL@B) Reflecting on Progress Made & Challenges Remaining.

Karen Clune, the Head of Innovation and Development for Youth Impact and a key architect of SL@B, was joined by fellow SL@B alums

Roger Rasool of the FREO2 Foundation, Ratul Narain, founder of BEMPU Health, and Brent Moellenberg, director of engineering at We Care Solar (Solar Suitcase). The panel shared their experiences with innovating to tackle big problems and the lessons they have learned from their work.

SESSION 2: DIGITAL HEALTH INNOVATION

Ashu Sabharwal, Rice University, Ernest Dell Butcher Professor of Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering. Ashu Sabharwal introduced the Session 2 speakers on digital health innovation.

Ranjani Ramamurthy, Vice President, Global Health Labs. Ranjani Ramamurthy spoke on applying AI models with health screening tools, including an ultrasound device intended for use in communities without access to skilled ultrasound technicians. The point-of-care, easy-to-use ultrasound device is intended as a screening measure to determine if escalation of care is needed. They are focused on developing this technology for use in India and Africa.

Joshua Bress, President of Global Strategies and Pediatrician. Joshua Bress presented NoviGuide, an online and offline decision support application for neonatal nurses. The application provides easy-to-use guides for nurses to assist them with care decisions, medical dosing conversions, and assessments of care plans based on available supplies.

Nimmi Ramanuham, Duke University, Professor of Biomedical Engineering. Nimmi Ramanuham presented on bringing digital-enabled point-of-care solutions to communities needing appropriate, accessible, affordable diagnostics. She provided details about cervical cancer screenings, self-administered testing, and using algorithms to assist with diagnosis.

SESSION 3: COMMERCIALIZATION, SCALE, & SUSTAINABILITY

Yael Hochberg, Rice University, Head of Entrepreneurship Initiative, Ralph S. O'Connor Professor in Entrepreneurship - Finance. Yael Hochberg introduced the speakers on commercialization, scale, & sustainability.

Lina Sayed, Chief Executive Officer, Gradian Health Systems. Lina Sayed shared experiences in scaling and commercializing in a sustainable way. Gradian Health Systems is a non-profit medical device company with a focus on delivering technology in low-resource settings, including its flagship Universal Anesthesia Machine (UAM).

Rob Scharar, Founder & CEO of FCA Corp. Rob Scharar presented his experiences that led him to establish a private-equity fund with a focus on Africa: Africap. The fund invests in small and midsize enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa.

Patricia Coffey, Health Technologies for Women and Children group lead, PATH. Patricia Coffey spoke on her experiences with PATH’s product offerings and the value of partnerships in commercializing innovations and scaling up.

Noah Mataruse, Innovation Manager, UNICEF. Noah Mataruse provided insights on sustainability and scaling innovations in low- and middle-income countries based on experiences from UNICEF.

PANEL DISCUSSION: MARKET ACCESS

Going from Launch to Scale. Kara Palamountain, Northwestern University, Research Professor at the Kellogg School of Management and Lecturer in Kellogg’s Sustainability and Social Impact Program, moderated the discussion on Market Access. Panel members included Audrey Battu from the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), Sashi Kumar, founder of Phoenix Medical Systems, Dick Oranja, executive director of Hatch Technologies, and Noah Perin, founder of VIA Global Health. Discussions focused on the unique challenges and solutions involved in supporting global access to healthcare innovations.

FRIDAY – SEPTEMBER 27, 2024

FRIDAY – SEPTEMBER 27, 2024
WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS

Rebecca Richards-Kortum, Rice University, Malcolm Gillis University Professor, Professor of Bioengineering, Co-Director of Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies, Co-Chair of NEST360. Rebecca Richards-Kortum welcomed everyone to the final day of the conference and introduced the keynote speaker, Dr. Peter Singer.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: PETER SINGER

GSD on the SDGs Requires Innovation. Dr. Peter Singer, Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto, Director at the Sandra Roman Centre at University Health Network, and Foreign Secretary of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, gave an insightful keynote address touching on the progress that still needs to be made on the Sustainable Development Goals. He included a “Seven Deadly Sins of Innovation” for the attendees to consider as they continue innovating for impact.

PANEL DISCUSSION: RMNCH DONOR

What are donors looking for? Stephen Bayer, Rice University, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations, moderated a panel discussion on what donors are looking for. Panel members included Susan Ross, Senior Private Sector Engagement Advisor at USAID, Apama Kamath, Portfolio Manager with Grand Challenges Canada’s Global Health Innovation team, and Kristen Molyneaux, who serves as Vice President of Program Strategy and Learning at Lever for Change. The discussions included insights into the donors’ perspectives around funding and expectations.

SESSION 4: NEWBORN HEALTH INNOVATION

Monika Patel, Rice University, introduced the speakers on newborn health innovation.

Anne CC Lee presented on making big differences for the smallest babies and the device she developed to screen for jaundice in babies.

Gregory Dajer discussed scaling innovations through cooperative efforts and his experience developing a suite of products in Vietnam.

ORAL ABSTRACTS: NEWBORN HEALTH INNOVATIONS

Noelle Nelson. Benchtop testing of a low-cost, video-based continuous neonatal respiratory rate monitor.

Annamarie Saarinen. Feasibility of RAPID Ultrasound Screening in Newborns and Infants

Abebe Gobezayehu. Reducing neonatal mortality through improving the quality of care at Dubti General Hospital, Ethiopia

Cannon Hansen. Phototherapy Swaddle for Treatment of Neonatal Jaundice in Low-resource Settings

ORAL ABSTRACTS: POSTER COMPETITION

Yvette Mirabal, Rice360 Executive Director, and Michelle Nodskov, Assistant Director of GLHT Education Programs, announced the winners of the Innovation for Day One Poster Competition, and the winners presented their posters.

First Place | A Novel Training Model for Nasopharyngeal Suctioning in Low-resource Settings presented by Sanjay Senthilvelan of Rice University

Second Place | Evaluation of Tubing Alternatives for Neonatal Gastric Suction Device for Low-Resource Settings presented by Mary Seifu Tirfie of Rice University’s Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies.

Third Place | Autothermo: A Wearable Bracelet for Continuous Monitoring of Newborn Vital Signs with Wireless Data Transmission by Nura Izath of Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda and Dr. Gloria Karirirwe

Honorable Mention | Development of a low-cost wearable optical device for early detection of postpartum hemorrhage presented by Christine O’Brien of Washington University in St. Louis

Honorable Mention | Development of an appropriate point-of-care consumable to detect jaundice in low-resource settings presented by Joseph Peterson of Rice University’s Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies

Honorable Mention | Balancing sensitivity and specificity: Investigating the effect of age delay and critical illness events on the number of threshold alarms presented by Christine Chewiza of Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences, Malawi