One group has been treating patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis in poor neighborhoods of India and Cambodia. Another is using text messaging and other mobile technologies to track patients in rural Ghana. Others are experimenting with innovations ranging from solar power to financing, all aimed at some of the world's toughest global health challenges.
The 13 groups, which also come from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mexico and other countries, are the first "global health social entrepreneurs" to receive support through a new Duke University program that will help them expand their innovations to serve more people. All are participating in a three-day conference on "scaling innovations in global health" at Duke's Fuqua School of Business, which begins Wednesday evening, April 3.
Read MoreThe ventures are receiving support from the new Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator at Duke (SEAD), a global health "development lab" that identifies and supports solutions to global health challenges in low- and middle-income countries. During the next five years, Duke will provide these and successive cohorts of global health innovators with training, consulting, research, corporate mentors, student project teams and connections to socially minded investors.
Supported by a $10 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and with matching support from Duke and other partners, the program is a collaboration among several Duke schools and units and with the Durham-based Investors' Circle. Additional information is available online.
The conference includes a free, public symposium beginning at 1 p.m. Friday, April 5, at Fuqua's Geneen Auditorium. The symposium features the participating social entrepreneurs, Duke faculty, senior officials from USAID and Ron Garan, a NASA astronaut. Ariel Pablos-Mendez, assistant administrator for global health at USAID, will deliver the keynote address. The agenda and RSVP information are available at http://seadsymposium.eventbrite.com/#.
In related events, Fuqua's Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) holds a public award ceremony honoring the founders of Riders for Health at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Fuqua's HCA Auditorium. The group manages more than 1,400 motorcycles, ambulances and other four-wheel vehicles used to deliver health care in Africa. RSVP information is available at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ESIRiders.
At 5 p.m. Friday, CASE senior fellow Dan Heath speaks about his new book, "Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work." RSVP information is available at http://decisiveduke.eventbrite.com.