University Programs

Global Alliance for Medical Innovation (GAMI)

ABOUT

The Global Alliance for Medical Innovation, an interdisciplinary group of students and faculty based at Harvard University, seeks to increase access to healthcare via interdisciplinary design and engineering.

MISSION

GAMI’S mission is to develop and implement accessible and socially impactful medical technologies for low resourced healthcare settings globally. We collaborate directly with organizations and clinicians on the ground in limited resource communities around the world to create innovative solutions to pressing global health challenges. Our products are developed through the process of human-centered design, ensuring maximum impact for the end users and communities.

An incubator for innovative solutions to pressing global health challenges.

We are currently mentoring the student leadership and innovation projects under GAMI, to improve project outcomes, innovation quality, market-fit, and clinical implementation.

Project Prana’s Mentorship

Prana’s Programmatic Inputs:

  • We connect student teams with global healthcare change-makers who present real-world problem statements they see in their day-to-day.

    Student teams are tasked with conducting needs assessments to understand and source problems from them in order to innovate viable and feasible solutions throughout the academic year.

    This programmatic input has brought consistency and real-world relevance to each project, significantly improving student motivation.

  • We connect GAMI students with experienced and inspiring innovators who have a proven track record of solving problems in healthcare.

  • Each student team receives technical mentorship from Harvard graduate, post-doc, and/or faculty. Mentorship is relevant to the specific design needs of the project, with frequent communication, and project oversight. This ensures the quality of innovation and design at GAMI.

  • We conduct workshops on:

    • Human-centered design

    • Comparative Health Systems

    • Social & Structural Determinants of Health (SDOH)

    • Creating Culturally Responsive Innovations

    • Theory of Change Modeling

    • Navigating Clinical Implementation

    These workshops are paired with worksheets and case studies, so students can apply what they learn to their innovation projects.

Project Affiliates

Project Portfolio: 2024-2025

  • Automated CAD for Prosthetics

    ACCESSIBILITY, SOFTWARE

    This project aims to automate the CAD modification process for prosthetic devices in India to reduce production time and improve fit accuracy, to address the significant gap between prosthetic need and availability.

    Advisor Affiliation: Rise Bionics
    Project Advisor: Arun Cherian
    Student Innovators: Alyssa Mia Taliotis (Lead) Sarah Li Ann Gao

  • Infectious Disease Forecasting & Response

    AI, SYSTEMS DESIGN

    This project explores the implementation of AI-driven predictive models for infectious disease outbreaks and natural disasters, aiming to improve public health preparedness and response capabilities.

    Advisor Affiliation: World Health Organization - Africa
    Project Advisor: Dick Chamla
    Student Innovators: Julianne Wu (Lead), Olivia Tang, Kevin Hu, Richard Zhu, Vishnu Emani

  • Complex Fracture Diagnosis

    AI/ML, APPLICATION DESIGN

    This project addresses the critical need for improved diagnostic capabilities among non-physician clinicians in Malawi, focusing on complex fractures where accurate X-ray interpretation is essential for proper treatment.

    Advisor Affiliation: Beth Israel Hospital
    Project Advisor: Kiran Agrawal-Harding
    Student Innovators: Krishna Parvataneni (Lead), Khushi Kohli, Sraavya Sambara Alissia Di Maria

  • Neurodegerative Disease Diagnostics

    PATTERN ASSESSMENTS, APP DEV

    This project aims to develop a digital diagnostic tool for differentiating between Parkinson's disease (PD) and essential tremors (ET), focusing on improving early detection and accessibility of diagnostic capabilities through an app-based approach using pattern drawing assessments.

    Advisor Affiliation: Beth Israel Hospital
    Project Advisor: Lan Luo
    Student Innovators: Michelle Weon (Lead), Richard Zhu (mentor), Shakira Ali

  • Improving Blood Donation Rates

    APP DESIGN, HEALTH EDUCATION

    This project aims to improve blood donation rates in Kenya by making information about the donation process more accessible and understandable to potential donors.



    Advisor Affiliation: Damu Sasa
    Project Advisor: Aaron Ogunde
    Student innovators: David Kim (Lead) Amber Peng Amy Sirma

  • Universal-Fit Prosthetic Arm

    ACCESSIBILITY, MED DEVICE DESIGN

    This project focuses on developing a low-cost, universal-fit prosthetic device for amputees in developing countries, aiming to improve accessibility and reduce the need for specialized prosthetists in the fitting process.

    Advisor Affiliation: Rise Bionics
    Project Advisor: Arun Cherian
    Student innovators: Arav Bhargava (Lead), Jenna Shoman, Benji Brenner, Michelle Yang, Christiana Foufas, Cecilia Wu

  • Cardiac Auscultation Stethoscope

    AI/MIL, DEVICE DESIGN

    This project aims to develop an affordable digital cardiac auscultation stethoscope, integrated with AI classification capabilities, to improve the detection of congenital and structural heart disease in low-resource settings.

    Advisor Affiliation: Harvard Medical School
    Project Advisor: Siva Emani
    Student Innovators: Zahra Ronizi (Lead), Mariya Meleganich, Fhasal Alam, Aneesh Mazumder

  • Pulse Oximeter Re-Design for PoC

    DEVICE DESIGN, HEALTH EQUITY

    This project aims to develop an improved pulse oximeter that provides accurate readings across all skin tones, particularly addressing the systematic bias in current devices that incorrectly report oxygen saturation in patients with darker skin.

    Advisor Affiliations: Brigham & Women's Hospital & Harvard SEAS
    Project Advisors: Harriet Kiwanuka, Shriya Srinivasan
    Student Innovators: Anushka (Co-lead), Sudhish Swain (Co-lead), Vishnu Emani, Umme, Ada Erus, Hamza Zafar, Sundas Nasir, Richard Zhu

  • Home-Care Nurse Matching

    APP DESIGN, SYSTEMS DESIGN

    This project aims to develop a platform that efficiently matches trained home care nurses with patients in India, addressing both the nursing shortage and accessibility issues in home healthcare.

    Advisor Affiliation: Impetus Health Solutions
    Project Advisor: T.R. Udayakumar
    Student Innovators: David An (Lead), Vishnu Emani (mentor), Janani Ramesh (mentor), Muqing Bai, Kai Wong, Assma Alrefai

  • Modular Prosthetics

    ACCESSIBILITY, DEVICE DESIGN

    This project aims to develop a modular prosthetic design that can be mass-produced and easily customized, making prosthetic devices more accessible and affordable in developing countries.


    Advisor Affiliation: Symbiotic
    Project Advisor: Rishi Krishna
    Student Innovators: Aditya Tummala (Lead), Sarah Shirley (Co-lead), Josefina Biernacki, Kathleen Ho, Mike Thomas