Innovations: Innovations in Laboratory Engineered Accelerated Diagnostics (iLEAD), Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND)

Date: Wednesday, 12 December 2018
Time: 13:30 – 15:00
Location: Congress Hall

Session Overview:
Global health is essential to sustained economic and social development and poverty reduction. Increased access to health service of high quality is crucial for maintaining and improving health. To achieve such goals and targets of UNAIDS 95/95/95 and End TB strategies, the role of the laboratory will be essential. Recent outbreaks such as those of Ebola in West Africa in 2015, and more recently in the Democratic Republic of Congo highlighted the urgent need to develop effective tools to diagnose the causative agent of outbreaks early at community level, limit their spread, and prevent future pandemics. Innovations are needed to provide the flexible and adaptable diagnostic tools and strategies that can be used in low-resource settings and the particular cultural and socio-economic contexts of Africa.

Implementing healthcare innovation for a significant impact on patient, public, and global health outcomes, and under economic pressures, requires concerted and well-informed action. A pan-African approach to innovation is essential to identify the technology advances that can improve access to quality-assured diagnostics and laboratory services that lead to better patient healthcare.

This session focused on “Innovations” will convene policy makers, implementers, and experts to discuss: (i) how to develop and promote a culture of innovation in Africa, (ii) the need of innovations in laboratory and laboratory-clinic interface to increase access to health services, (iii) how innovations could improve laboratory capacity and health systems towards preventing and controlling future pandemics.

Moderators:

  • Souleymane Mboup
    • Founder, Institut de Recherche en Santé, de Surveillance Epidémiologique et de Formation, Sénégal
  • Wendy Stevens
    • Department Head, University of the Witwatersrand and National Health Laboratory Service, South Africa
  • Panelists
    • Dougbeh Christopher Nyan
      • Chief Executive and Scientific Officer (CESO), Shufflex Biomed, United States
      • Innovation in Africa: Promoting Ingenuity and Addressing Challenges
    • Souleymane Mboup
      • Founder, Institut de Recherche en Santé, de Surveillance Epidémiologique et de Formation, Sénégal
      • iLEAD – Innovations in Laboratory Engineered Accelerated Diagnostics – a New Programme Designed to Incubate Innovations within the Laboratory Value Chain
    • Sridhar Ramanathan
      • President & CTO, HealthCubed India Private Limited, India
      • HealthCube: Simplified Comprehensive Diagnostics for Better Diagnosis
    • Kumbirai Chigudu
      • IT Technical Specialist, Wits Health Consortium, South Africa
      • eLABS: Digital Health Interventions Strengthens the Clinical-Laboratory Interface for HIV-VL Programmes
    • Devy Emperador
      • Scientific Officer, FIND, Switzerland
      • How Innovations Assist in Outbreak Responses