Innovator Joel Selanikio Wins $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(Business Wire)--
Dr. Joel Selanikio`s innovative technology is not only saving lives, it is
changing the face of the public health system around the world. Merging his
expertise in the areas of computer science, medicine and public health with his
business partner`s background in technology, spurred the development of a
sustainable mobile software tool to aid in disease surveillance and the
collection of public health data in developing nations. Officially established
as an electronic data collection standard by the World Health Organization,
Selanikio`s EpiSurveyor is now the most widely adopted open source mobile health
software in the world.
The Lemelson-MIT Program today named Dr. Joel Selanikio as the recipient of the
2009 $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability in recognition of his
accomplishments in public health and international development. Selanikio,
co-founder of DataDyne and assistant professor of pediatrics at Georgetown
University Hospital in Washington D.C., will accept the award and present his
innovation to the public at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) during
the Lemelson-MIT Program`s third-annual EurekaFest, a multi-day celebration of
the inventive spirit, on June 24-27.
"Joel`s inventiveness and ability to leverage his unique, multi-discipline
background is impressive," states Theresa Bradley, team leader of the World
Bank`s Development Marketplace, whose organization nominated Selanikio for the
award. "He is a thought leader in the area of mobile health for developing
countries and is dedicated to improving global public health by creating
sustainable technologies that are scalable, affordable and practical."
Improving Methods of Data Collection
Selanikio became devoted to improving data collection in public health while
working as a U.S. Public Health Service officer at the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). He found that existing means of data collection
for disease surveillance and immunization programs were inefficient - health
workers carried hundreds of thousands of sheets of paper to the field, a process
that was inconvenient, expensive and environmentally unsound. Moreover, after
the paper forms were filled out, the data would need to be manually entered into
a computer system for analysis, which could take more than a year; this
paper-based system severely hampered the ability for health organizations to
evaluate the success of their programs and move quickly in battling disease
outbreaks.
With the proliferation of mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs),
Selanikio recognized the potential of handheld computers in dramatically
improving the data collection process. "I set out to develop software that was
extremely simple to use; taking the skills, expertise and capacity that
previously came with hiring a consultant and instead, put the necessary tools
into the hands of the actual public health officer, nurse or physician," states
Selanikio. "I was determined to make the software both free and open source, as
not to raise barriers to data collection."
EpiSurveyor: Lowering the Barriers to High-Quality Data
It is uncommon for most citizens in developing countries to own desktop or
laptop computers, but the use of mobile technology continues to grow with 64
percent of all mobile users living in developing nations. 1 Selanikio and
partner, technologist Rose Donna, formerly of the American Red Cross, co-founded
DataDyne, a nonprofit devoted to information and communication technologies for
public health and development, to capitalize on the prevalence of this hardware
as the platform for EpiSurveyor. This free software package, which can be
downloaded onto handheld mobile devices, allows health workers to become fully
self-sufficient in programming, designing and deploying health surveys,
eliminating the need for costly outside consultants, paper and manual data
entry. EpiSurveyor enables full cycle data collection from surveillance of
diseases affecting populations, to evaluating treatments, to monitoring the
success of treatments in preventing outbreaks and improving health.
"Using EpiSurveyor on PDAs, and most recently on common mobile phones, allows
the process of collecting essential data of every kind to happen more easily,
cheaper, faster and at a higher quality," states Dr. Mark Grabowsky, medical
officer for global health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "In
Africa and across the globe, EpiSurveyor is enabling thousands of public health
officials to have a clearer knowledge of priorities, successes, problems and the
future path of public health."
Revolutionizing Global Public Health
It was once unheard-of for developing countries to collect their own
national-level health statistics. This process is now becoming routine and
economical thanks to the EpiSurveyor technology. In partnership with the World
Health Organization and participating ministries of health, DataDyne and the
United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation Technology Partnership are
currently training and equipping health workers in more than 20 sub-Saharan
African countries with the tools to make smart decisions about critical public
health issues, making it easier to combat deadly diseases and save lives.
Already, EpiSurveyor has had an enormous impact in Africa; playing a role in the
hugely successful Measles Initiative for measles vaccination, which has helped
reduce measles deaths by nearly 90 percent in Africa since 2000. In Zambia and
Kenya, the EpiSurveyor software has streamlined the inoculation of children
against measles, provided new information on HIV and even helped to contain a
polio outbreak.
"Joel`s achievements are a great example of a successful alliance between public
and private institutions," states Joshua Schuler, the executive director of the
Lemelson-MIT Program. "His innovative thinking combined with the support of the
United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation has not only strengthened the
global public health system, but has transformed lives - a true collaboration
revealing the power of innovation."
Seeking Nominees for 2010 $100,000Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability
Applications for the 2010 $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability are now
available at http://web.mit.edu/invent/a-award.html. Each year, the award
recognizes and supports an inventor or innovator whose work enhances economic
opportunities and community well-being. For questions, please contact
lemelson_awards@mit.edu.
ABOUT THE LEMELSON-MIT PROGRAM
The Lemelson-MIT Program recognizes outstanding inventors, encourages
sustainable new solutions to real-world problems, and enables and inspires young
people to pursue creative lives and careers through invention.
Jerome H. Lemelson, one of U.S. history`s most prolific inventors, and his wife
Dorothy founded the Lemelson-MIT Program at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology in 1994. It is funded by The Lemelson Foundation, a philanthropy that
celebrates and supports inventors and entrepreneurs in order to strengthen
social and economic life in the U.S. and developing countries. More information
on the Lemelson-MIT Program is online at http://web.mit.edu/invent/.
1 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2007
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Chrissy Redmond / Jodi Housman
617-939-8369 / 617-939-8384
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or
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Ilana Schoenfeld, 617-258-0632
ilanasch@mit.edu
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