Grand Challenges Canada – Innovating to Eliminate Health Inequities
With the globalization of health, governments and international organizations recognize the intrinsic link between health, economic growth, and national security. More than ever, it is evident that disease and negative lifestyle choices have no boundaries. A decade on from the SARS epidemic, what challenges does the global health community face? How will Canadians contribute to the alleviation of these health inequities? Grand Challenges Canada is taking an unconventional approach to answering these important questions.
Grand Challenges Canada, which is funded by the Government of Canada, seeks to find the perfect balance between basic science, implementation science, and commercialization. Commonly overlooked in global health, business is a crucial element of scaling up health interventions to ensure widespread implementation. As such, Grand Challenges Canada has adopted an Integrated Innovation model – scientific/technological, social and business innovation – as the basis of its Targeted Challenges and innovator-defined projects. Drawing on years of experience in low- and middle-income countries, the organization launched the Stars in Global Health Program. This initiative recognizes the inherent ability of entrepreneurs in these countries to innovate and generate context-specific health solutions. Conjunctionally, the program supports projects led by Canadian investigators.
This innovator-defined focus is what excited me most about participating in the Grand Challenges Canada summer internship program. Suite 406, 101 College Street, Toronto became the focal point of my summer when I joined the Grand Challenges Canada team as an intern with the Stars in Global Health Program. Initially, it was unclear how I, a Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate student with basic science skills, would fit into the broader global health community. Yet, a sound foundation in experimental design and laboratory techniques proved to be an important asset for project calls with grantees.
I am truly appreciative of the organization’s dedication to providing a phenomenal educational experience for its summer students. Listening to more than 20 speakers, some of whom were from international non-governmental organizations or were grantees, reiterated the fact that diverse skill sets are required to spawn change in global health. Unknowingly, my fellow summer interns and I were mimicking the current state of global health work, one where individuals from all academic backgrounds have an important role to play. Working in this interdisciplinary environment was extremely rewarding, as it provided lessons in how foreign policy shapes investments in global health, the silent burden of disrupted early childhood development, and the dire need for commitments to mental health.
My primary assignment for the summer was to develop a database encapsulating key project descriptors – health priorities, health platforms, collaborating countries, institution type, etc. – for nearly 300 projects. Whilst this may sound rather simplistic it was no small feat, as it required the review of every project proposal and associated video. Ultimately, the database’s utility far exceeded my expectations. This database will facilitate the grant management process, identify projects to funnel through to the Financial Innovations portfolio, and highlight project synergy and areas for expansion. Grand Challenges Canada is still in the early days of global health impact investing, but it is gathering momentum (the recently announced Global Health Investment Fund will be worth keeping an eye on in this regard). Best practices are yet to be defined, so it was a privilege to peripherally observe the organization’s Transition to Scale strategy taking shape. Weekly Financial Innovations meetings emphasized the need for flexibility and the willingness to try something new, with no guarantee of success.
Grand Challenges Canada is engaged in the real-time innovation of global health funding and its approach serves as an important lesson to anybody interested in health. For the bold impact we seek, for the transformation of our own health care system, we must be bold, take bold steps and at times take counter-cultural steps. It is through innovation that the global health community will see the greatest gains and succeed at eliminating health inequities.
Jo-Ann Osei-Twum is pursuing her MSc at the University of British Columbia, and is a member of the Neglected Global Diseases Initiative. Connect with her on LinkedIn.