The Trinity Challenge Winners Series: Eight weeks of insights The Trinity Challenge

In Thailand, 40% of farming households rely on appx US$2.78 a day for an entire family. Sick livestock means a loss that can devastate a family and threaten their already fragile existence.  The team at PODD (aka OpenDream) realised that an early alert could prevent the loss of an entire herd, while also tracking any spillover from animals to humans. Thousands of farmers have been connected through PODD's app and toolkit, and have been instantly transformed into disease detectives. So it's no surprise that neighbouring countries such as Laos and Cambodia are also interested in PODD's solution.

In this, our final podcast in The Trinity Challenge Winners series, Patipat Keng Susumpow and Matt Parker of PODD talk to James Dray (Brunswick Group) about a drooling cow, a housewife who identified an early outbreak of foot-and-mouth, EpiHack, symptom tracking, frontline defences, and one of Matt's official titles: Chief Light Shiner!

Keywords: Apps, OneHealth, Chiang Mai University, Disease Surveillance, Zoonoses, & Disease Detectives

While much has been written about vaccines and inequitable distribution, here's an eye-opening statistic: estimates suggest that one in three vaccines is wasted in supply chains! Well, the VaccineLedger (aka StaTwig) team is working to change this using block-chain based solutions. They are aiming to create sustainable and resilient supply chains which will enable us to (continue to) respond to this pandemic as well as future global health emergencies. Their solution can also be applied to the distribution of food and other vital commodities.

In this episode, Sid Chakravarthy and Harsha Kethineni of VaccineLedger talk to James Dray (Brunswick Group) about revolutionising vaccine distribution, blockchain, secure and tamper-proof data, and preserving the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

Keywords: blockchain, vaccines, vaccine safety, Hyderabad, CEPI, GAVI and UNICEF 

If there's one thing the current pandemic has taught us, it is the value of, and the need for better disease surveillance and early warning systems.

Joint third prize winners, DiSenDa, are developing a wireless sensor network with patented technologies, that will detect pathogens in the air and water up to a week before cases present in humans. More importantly, the solution is low-cost and low-maintenance, which means that it can be deployed in remote areas to serve vulnerable communities. Through continuous and real-time data streaming, analysis, and visualisation, health organisations in these areas will be able to make critical, life-saving decisions. DiSenDa's solution will be well placed to fill the gaps in our health surveillance capabilities. 

In this episode, Dr Sheree Pagsuyoin and Dr Nian Sun of DiSenDa, talk to moderator James Dray (Brunswick Group) about sensors, bio-probes, Big Data, AI, polymers, and The Trinity Challenge acting as a collaboration enabler! 

Key words: AI, Big Data, sensors, and disease surveillance. 

The inequitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines has been the subject of much discussion over the past year, and the situation is only a little better for childhood immunisations, even pre-pandemic. In 2014, a student at the Yale Center for Engineering Innovation and Design, attended a course titled: Appropriate Technology for the Developing World, aimed at addressing the immunisation gap. The student, Ruchit Nagar, set out to create a digital vaccine record using Near Field Communication tags, which could be viewed and updated by simply scanning the tag with a compatible Android device. Soon, the technology was being used in rural parts of the state of Rajasthan (India), for mother-and-child health programs, under the name Khushi Baby, which went on to also be known as Khushi Health - or, to translate literally, Happy Health! 

Fast forward to June 2021, when the Khushi Health team were awarded joint 3rd prize by The Trinity Challenge. Their solution has developed over time, and in its current form, has digitally supported and empowered Community Health Workers (CHWs)  - and indirectly the state government - to serve high-risk citizens during the current pandemic. The CHWs are known as 'Ashas', which means 'hope', and that is exactly what they are bringing to underserved communities in rural parts of India's largest state. 

Join Ruchit Nagar (Founder) and Saachi Dalal (CSO) as they talk to moderator James Dray (Brunswick Group), about vaccines, digital platforms and dashboards, Google AI, and communities helping the Ashas get tech savvy.  

Keywords: AI, Big Data, Data Accountability, Rajasthan, India, CHWs, Khushi Baby, Khushi Health. 

Founded in 2015 by Dr Asif Qasim, MedShr Insights and Early Warning System has gone from strength to strength, winning a well-deserved joint third prize at The Trinity Challenge Awards ceremony in June 2021. Along with creating a trusted environment for doctors and healthcare professionals, the platform provides learning modules, clinical insights across a range of medical conditions, and allows practitioners in all corners or the world to find diagnostic support. Sharing (anonymised) case data, and using AI and Natural Language Processing, the platform tracks behaviours, clusters of symptoms, and geographical and intersecting trends to support diagnoses, management of diseases and outbreaks, and emerging therapies, such as in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this episode, Dr Asif Qasim and Janis Pereira talk to moderator James Dray (Brunswick Group) about MedShr's origin story, thinking beyond on-paper degrees (English Lit & Middlemarch - yes, you read that correctly!), collaborative working, the ability to reach 1.8m clinicians in over 190 countries, and the potential for better patient outcomes and improvements in the lives of millions.    

Key words: AI, Big Data, Natural Language Processing, Pandemics, Disease Surveillance, COVID-19, Disease prevention, The Trinity Challenge. 

COVID-19, that great disruptor, has knocked practically everything else off the global health agenda, including routine healthcare. Populations that struggle to access healthcare in the normal course of events, have had to rely even more heavily on one lifeline: Community Health Workers. Around 70% of Living Goods' clients live over 5km away from the nearest health facility. Using smart mobile technology, CHWs are digitally supported to deliver care on call, making it a lifeline for many families. Working with governments, they are creating a strong performance management system to drive impact—which is especially important during pandemics.

In this, our third episode in the series, Dr Kezia Oduol and Thomas Onyango of Living Goods, talk to moderator James Dray (Brunswick Group) about the life-saving and positive changes CHWs make not just within their community, but within their own families as well.

Keywords: Community Health Workers / CHWs, Digital Healthcare, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning, Big Data, GIS & Geospatial Technology, Software & Mobile Applications