MIT and Harvard Teams Launch Incubator Research Projects
With help from students in the MIT Leaders for Manufacturing Program and the Harvard School of Public Health, DtM and partner CIMIT Global Health Initiative have launched a new research effort around distribution channels for medical devices in developing countries--with a particular focus on opportunities for our infant incubator. Our questions relate to product manufacturing, financing and distribution. There are at least two channels through which incubators and other pieces of medical equipment arrive in clinics in poor countries: through donations, and through commercial purchase. Our goal is to develop a picture of the decision-makers and stakeholders along each channel, building a better picture of those involved in medical device production for emerging markets.
The project will involve research and interviews with key stakeholders, as well as a literature survey and product benchmarking. The end reports will significantly advance our understanding of the nature of the medical device market in poor countries, and opportunities that exist for our product design service.
For the first team, we recruited students from MIT's Leaders for Manufacturing program, specifically Prof. Jan Klein's "Tiger Team" semester project program. This program, launched in 2001, was initially conceived as a way to assist small- to medium-sized manufacturers within the Greater Boston area to quickly "fix" an ongoing problem that occurred in the factory. It has since expanded to tackle a range of manufacturing issues. LfM students have made significant contributions to DtM projects in 2004, 2005 and 2007. This year's team, Oladapo "Dapo" Bakare, Kacy Gerst and Tatiana Yglesias are LfM Masters degree candidates, and all have significant industry experience to apply to the project.
For the second team, we recruited students from Harvard School of Public Health "Blueprint for Health" program, run by students in the, Harvard Social Entrepreneurs in Health (SEIH) Student Organization. "Blueprint for Health" aims to empower students to develop their social entrepreneurial skills by providing opportunities for them to join a team of students to get involved in one of many projects that we have already secured with existing public health enterprises. This is DtM's first year working with the student group. We're looking forward to their results!
The MIT LfM Tiger Team (from L): Tatiana Yglesias, Oladapo Bakare, Kacy Gerst
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