Appropriate Technology Development in Low Resource Settings

3.23.2010 SPEAKER: Patricia Coffey, MPH, PhD Program Officer, PATH, A Catalyst for Global Health MODERATOR: Anjali Sastry, PhD Senior Lecturer, System Dynamics, MIT Sloan School of Management

Forum Summary

PATH is a non-profit organization that seeks to promote innovations designed to make good health attainable by all.  It has offices in 21 countries and is active in 70.  It receives the majority of its funds from charitable foundations, and it devotes approximately half of its resources to the development of technology.  Its remaining resources are used to support healthcare delivery programs.  Examples of projects supported by PATH include a heat-sensitive sticker used to monitor vaccine quality and a street theater group that encourages healthy behaviors in low-resource settings.  When undertaking a new project, PATH attempts to focus not only on product development but also on market development.

The organization’s product development process revolves around interdisciplinary teams combining technical, international, and commercial experience.  Once a need has been established, the team develops a set of requirements and systematically assesses existing technologies.  New technologies are developed in an iterative manner that incorporates a significant amount of user feedback.  So far, PATH has developed at least 20 technologies that are currently in use and available commercially, including technologies involving vaccines and reproductive health.

            PATH seeks to maximize the impact of its innovations by linking product development to market development, thinking about strengthening distribution systems and incentivizing suppliers well before products are ready to be launched.  New technologies can sometimes be more costly than older ones, so PATH is careful to manage suppliers’ expectations regarding initial demand.  The organization has also found that building country-based evidence in support of a new technology is a vital part of winning acceptance in the public sector.  In the future, as PATH attempts to bring new products to market, international and interdisciplinary cooperation will continue to be essential.

Post a Comment