A systemic approach to healthcare technology innovation for resource-poor environments

This paper describes a unique partnership between Northwestern University (NU) and the University of Cape Town (UCT) to develop appropriate and affordable health technology solutions for resource poor environments. These collaborations seek to bridge the gap between significant disease burden and the expertise required to address it. The NU and UCT partnership, as well as the closely associated Center for Innovation in Global Healthcare Technology (CIGHT) and Worid Health Imaging Alliance (WHIA), offer a novel approach for developing healthcare technologies for resource poor environments using the collective expertise of academia, donors and industry. These partnerships extend beyond initial product development to also consider what is needed to deliver and maintain these products in their intended environments.