The conference provides a unique opportunity to present in an "Innovative Initiatives" session about the services and products offered by for-profit and non-profit organizations that may interest and benefit the conference participants.

Solar Light and Power Enabling Health Innovations

Megan Birney, President and CEO, Unite to Light

Unite to Light believes that access to clean, affordable light and energy is critical to improving health, education and prosperity. We manufacture and distribute solar light and power to people living without electricity across the globe. Our products are the tools people need to live and thrive. We focus on projects that help students study at night, equip midwives with the tools they need to save lives, and offer relief to those suffering from disasters and homelessness.

Creating a Ugandan National Health Communication Network

Dan Gerendasy, Chief of International Programs, US National Library of Medicine

The National Library of Medicine (NLM), on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, has been a center of information innovation since its founding in 1836. The world’s largest biomedical library, NLM maintains and makes available a vast print collection and produces electronic information resources on a wide range of topics that are searched billions of times each year by millions of people around the globe. It also supports and conducts research, development, and training in biomedical informatics and health information technology. In addition, the Library coordinates a 6,500-member National Network of Libraries of Medicine that promotes and provides access to health information in communities across the United States.

Social Franchising: A Tool to Scale Impact

Devin Hibbard, CEO, Street Business School

Street Business School (SBS) is a leader in global training. We are on a mission to end extreme poverty by empowering women as entrepreneurs. SBS scales our impact through a social franchise model, partnering with other NGOs that implement our proven and effective business training in communities that they serve and know best. To date, Street Business School has over 100 partners in 22 countries across the globe. Our world-class and world-changing model will help one million people lift themselves from poverty by 2027.

People aren’t interested in handouts, and neither are we. We use proven methods to give them the knowledge and confidence they need to succeed. In only six months, they use those tools to create a business of their own. These women go from earning an average of $1.04 a day at baseline to $2.71 a day one year after graduating. As fearless businesswomen, they build their enterprises, meet their daily needs, and raise capable and confident children who will break the cycle of generational poverty.

Please watch this 14-minute talk to hear stories of successful entrepreneurs, more about the social franchise model and how you can get involved.

Join Us! Virtual Support for Unlimited High-Quality Care

Lori Most, Founder and CEO, BackpackEMR and Binary Bridge, SBC

The pandemic has devastated countries across the world; however, the new travel and gathering limitations for COVID-19 have strengthened the case and acceptance for virtual healthcare.

In the United States, telemedicine has increased exponentially, typically facilitating a medical visit using video-chat tools, and has allowed patients to continue receiving high-quality care. For rural communities in low-resource countries that lack access to consistent internet, video-chat tools are not an option. So millions have gone without care while the pandemic restrictions have been in effect.

We have built an offline, asynchronous method to provide training and medical support to health workers in rural communities, reducing the need for in-person consultations with medical professionals. Our system focuses on sustainability, with our low-cost model for digital tools and access to high-quality medical professionals around the world. 

We're looking to collaborate with groups supporting portable diagnostic devices or are building AI or predictive analytics tools. Additionally, we're looking for healthcare organizations interested in implementing an offline/online virtual care platform.

Join our session to learn more about ways to partner with us!

BackpackEMR is a portable electronic medical records app that works offline, shares data real-time with other devices while offline, and backs up data in the cloud.