CIMIT blog

The Innovators Advice - Engineering students hear from Alex Slocum

We called professor Alex Slocum of MIT the other day and caught him in his workshop building and inventing his way though a snowy day. We asked him about the CIMIT Prize for Primary Care and what suggestions he has for any innovator or inventor working to create disruptive innovations in systems and devices.

Alex is the guru of innovation and invention and in this brief podcast he gives tremendous insight:

    1. Fiddle around, be playful

    2. Have real personal passion and excitement for the area of interest

    3. Never stop asking why

    4. Careful thinking and careful research (be bimodal and objective!)

    5. Think like the user (In the case of the CIMIT Prize think like a physician, clinician or patient - Not like an engineer or inventor)

And check out the podcast here...

Letters of intent from undergraduate and graduate students in engineering for the $150,000 $100,000 and $50,000 CIMIT Prize for Innovations in Primary Care are due January 15, 2009. So in the fine words of Dr. Ron Dixon, INNOVATE NOW!

Check out the CIMIT Prize Facebook page today! Hurry!

The Global Health Podcast - Learning From Our Patients

What happens when an anthropologist an engineer and a physician come together to tackle the problems of global health in the developing world? Well, it looks like the answer doesn’t necessarily come from just those three areas alone. Instead some of the very people in need of help are doing the most to shape this new breed of cross-disciplinary medicine. Physicians, clinicians, engineers, designers and anthropologists are all learning from the people they help and it is transforming the way we deliver care and the solutions we create. The age of top down medical is coming to an end.

On January 6th, 2008 we are holding a Forum on Global Health at MGH - Read more about it here

In preparation we had the opportunity to talk for a few minutes with Kris Olson about the Global Health Initiative and how the face of care delivery is changing rapidly.

Second, we sat down with Jose Gomez Marquez who tells us a story about how when caring for TB patients in Nicaragua many of the solutions came directly from the patients. One such innovative way used cell phone minutes as currency.

Kris Olson, & Lynn Osborn discuss the New World of the Old World

Jose Gomez Marquez & Lynn Osborn tell us a story about revolutionizing care delivery in Nicaragua and learning from our patients

And we’ll see you at the forum!

Systems Thinking: Using the Tools of Ethnography and Technology to Transform Healthcare Delivery
SPEAKER: JOHN SHERRY

Innovations in International Health Initiative, MIT
SPEAKER: JOSE GOMEZ MARQUEZ

Global Health Initiative
SPEAKER: KRIS OLSON

TRIZ: Unleashing Self-Organization

On December 2nd we had the unique opportunity to practice Liberating Structures and below is a video example of one such tool called TRIZ. We were moderated that day by Keith McCandless and our subject was "The Primary Care Revolution." The important thing to remember is that TRIZ is open to any problem, issue or application. The video runs 10 minutes and is an outline of how to practice effective TRIZ. It goes along with the outline below.

100 Global Health Blogs That Will Open Your Eyes

By Christina Laun

People around the world are concerned with providing healthy living conditions, medications, preventive care and more for their citizens so they can live long, healthy lives. These global health care blogs reflect the concerns from people of all countries and walks of life and can help you learn about health care issues that affect people young and old. Check these out to learn about technology, drugs, food safety and much more.

100 Global Health Blogs That Will Open Your Eyes

Oh and by the way... CIMIT blog is #79.

$150,000 Prize for Innovations in Primary Healthcare

These are times where we all do more with less. This is accomplished in part through the reform of our systems and practices. One such area that is quickly coming closer to revolution is the American system of healthcare. It would be a tremendous achievement to align our current healthcare system with the more "universal" healthcare coverage envisioned by many. One way to bridge the gap and hasten realignment is through technology innovations. These innovations will likely come from within and foster a more adaptable process focused on patient involvement and participation matched with health and prevention solutions to limit costs while improving care.

Healthcare in the United States has the potential to be a driving influence long term in our global competitiveness and a staple of our economic engine. It must be a collaborative science not only among industry, academia and the government, but also individuals on a personal level driven by patients and patient advocates.

CIMIT has announced a dynamic new engineering prize competition: the CIMIT Prize for Primary Healthcare. It calls for technologic innovations with the greatest potential to support and catalyze improved delivery of healthcare at the frontlines of medicine.  The top three entrants will receive $150,000, $100,000 and $50,000, respectively, to help advance their winning clinically-relevant, primary care solutions.

This national competition is open to graduate and undergraduate engineering students from accredited engineering programs. CIMIT's goal in offering these major awards is to encourage engineering students to develop technological innovations that have great potential to enhance delivery of primary healthcare.

Even if you are not a student or applicable to this prize it is crucial that we earn your vested interest and adoption. You are a patient and we are all patients, even the physicians. We are all effected by the coming changes to healthcare and primary care. If you become involved now in the changes you want to make no one will be able to take it away. No one will be able to determine a healthcare pathway that is not for you.

We are now accepting letters of intent. Please see our website here and become a fan of our facebook page where you can interact with others and get more information on the competition.