Can engineering create sustainable change in the world? In this episode of the Global Health Pursuit podcast, we speak with Abe Wright, co-founder and CTO of Design Outreach. We discuss Abe's transition from an engineer at J&J to leading a nonprofit focused on global health. Abe shares the story of the Life Pump, a reliable and sustainable water pump designed to alleviate poverty. The episode covers: The technical challenges and successes in developing the Life Pump Design Outreach's growth, and their expansion into other areas like sanitation and medical devices. The importance of settin ..read more

Approximately 1.3 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes. More than half of all road traffic deaths are among vulnerable road users: pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. Between 20 and 50 million more people suffer non-fatal injuries, with many incurring a disability as a result of their injury. This is where SIGN comes in. As the engineering manager, Terry speaks to us about how SIGNs design process to create trauma implants and instruments is different than the norm. How they work with surgeons from all around the world to create better products, and implement ..read more

What happens when the breadwinner of a family living under the poverty line in a low or middle income country gets into an accident breaking bones and eliminating his or her ability to walk, eliminating their ability to go to work and make money for their family? This is what made Dr. Lewis Zirkle, the President and Founder of SIGN Fracture Care, so passionate about creating a nonprofit medical device company that designs and manufactures implants/instrumentation while also providing education to local surgeons in developing countries. SIGN focuses on the lack of orthopedic care in low and mi ..read more

What you think of Global Health, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Healthcare, nutrition, education? In this episode, I introduce the topic of global health and provide different definitions. I challenge listeners to think about global health beyond just healthcare and consider the various factors that contribute to it, such as culture, environment, education, and mental health. This episode serves as an introduction to the podcast and its focus on exploring global health issues from a beginner's perspective. I highlight some of the amazing guests I have had on the podcast who are w ..read more

Each year, about 2 million people die due to waterborne diseases. And most of these deaths happen to children under the age of 5.  What does it take to serve communities that are desperately in need of clean water? How do we find clean water? What factors do we need to take into consideration? How difficult could it be? In this episode, I speak with Lumbie Mlambo, founder of the nonprofit organization, JB Dondolo. The conversation centers around the importance of clean water equity and the work that Lumbie is doing to provide marginalized communities, particularly women and girls, with a ..read more

Have you ever wondered how health statistics are taken in the most rural parts of the world? Journal articles discuss how hundreds of thousands of women are diagnosed with and dying from cervical cancer, but just how accurate are these statistics? In this episode, Marissa Fayer and I chat about women's health in low and middle income countries, specifically cervical cancer statistics and the important work she does in the medtech and philanthropy sectors. We talk about Marissa's background and how HerHealthEQ was founded (in a bar!). HerHealthEQ is a nonprofit that aims to improve women's hea ..read more

What happens when you finally decide that what you've been doing for most of your life just isn't working out for you anymore? My name is Hetal Baman and today, I'm telling my story of reinvention after experiencing burnout and depression. One of my very best friends - Catherine Santis (AKA Cat) is interviewing me today. I’m addressing what happened with the first iteration of this podcast and why I deleted EVERYTHING after over a year of recording.  Sometimes, when your job is making you sick and you’re leading a life shaped around other people's expectations, you do have to burn it all ..read more

War. bombings. Terror. Is history repeating itself? We see it happening all around the world. And today's episode is about resilience in the face of war.  In this episode Dr. Amani Ballour, a Syrian pediatrician and activist discusses Her upbringing in a conservative Syrian community Her path to becoming a doctor against societal expectations and her intense experiences managing an underground hospital during the Syrian conflict. She details the challenges of treating victims of chemical attacks with limited resources and the normalization of violence in war zones. Dr. Ballour also spe ..read more

The Western healthcare system is full of rack rage, moral injury, and ethical crises. How can we redefine how physicians deliver healthcare to stay true to morality? In this episode, Dr. Marc-David Munk, an emergency medicine physician, shares his transformative experiences working with the Flying Doctors of East Africa. In this episode, Dr. Munk discusses: The moral challenges he faced in the Western medical system. His pursuit of meaningful patient care. Reflections on the sacredness of medicine His return to Africa for business and management training His book's impact on other doctors. Dr ..read more

Can engineering create sustainable change in the world? In this episode of the Global Health Pursuit podcast, we speak with Abe Wright, co-founder and CTO of Design Outreach. We discuss Abe's transition from an engineer at J&J to leading a nonprofit focused on global health. Abe shares the story of the Life Pump, a reliable and sustainable water pump designed to alleviate poverty. The episode covers: The technical challenges and successes in developing the Life Pump Design Outreach's growth, and their expansion into other areas like sanitation and medical devices. The importance of settin ..read more