As some of you may know, I spent last summer working on global health technologies in Malawi through the Beyond Traditional Borders program. Although I still get nostalgic about all of the people and places I miss in the warm heart of Africa, I am so thankful to have the opportunity to travel across the world once again–this time at the World Health Organization headquarters in Switzerland. In my three years at Rice I have had technical coursework in engineering, research experience, and design projects for medical devices. This summer, I can’t wait to learn more about the health policy that shapes changes in global health and provides a framework for these devices to reach those in need. And what better place to work and learn than the beautiful (and expensive!) city of Geneva.

I arrived on Sunday afternoon, started work on Monday, and am just now getting over the jet lag. Although I know very, very little French, I am already starting to master some important words:

tirez- pull (so embarrassing every time I tried to open doors the wrong way)

je ne parle pas français- I don’t speak French

merci-thank you

Unlike Chichewa, which has Spanish sounding vowels, French has proven very difficult for me to pronounce, but most people here speak at least some English. I’m still getting used to saying “the US” instead of “Jones” when people ask me where I’m from, but overall, I can’t say I really feel foreign being in such an international city.

The public transit system here is amazing, and today I made it to work and back without any extra detours for the first time!

When I arrived on Monday, I went straight to a meeting with some MBA students to discuss medical device innovation with some members of the department (Medical Devices Unit within Essential Medicines and Health Products). In this small meeting were people from all over the world including Mexico, Japan, Bulgaria, the UK, the US, Turkey, and India. I am constantly hearing different accents and different languages, and it is so great to see people from all different places working towards common goals. Today I was surprised to meet someone from Geneva for the first time as well as someone from my hometown of Colorado Springs!

In my unit, there are currently 3 other interns (2 who are leaving very soon), and still there is always lots of work to be done. Right now I am mostly reading reports and trying get up to speed on the many projects that are taking place. It is amazing how much productivity the unit has, even with a constant turnover of interns and frequent turnover of staff as well. I’m excited to delve into the projects I’ve been assigned so that I can make some solid progress in the two months I have here. As of right now my work objectives include the following:

1. Support activities on the UN Commission on Life Saving Commodities- This includes determining technical specifications for 3 of the 13 identified commodities (female condoms, injectable antibiotics for neonatal sepsis, and resuscitation equipment for newborn asphyxia), and using the results of a survey issued to 49 underserved countries to work towards increasing access to these vital medical products.

2. Support the development of the book “Medical Devices Innovation”

3. Support the report of workshops as part of the second phase of the project “Local Production and Technology Transfer” (LPTT) These workshops will take place in four different countries this summer and will involve many different stakeholders in the LPTT process (producers, inventors, ministry of health workers, end-users, etc.) learning more about how to increase local production and successful implementation of innovative medical devices in developing countries.

More info on these exciting projects to come!

 

 Path lined with member state flags