As the summer comes to a close, SEAD interns have been sharing with us stories and experiences from their summer internships. Today's post comes to us from Courtney Cobb, who interned with USAID for the Center for Accelerating Innovation and Impact as part of the HESN Labs internship program. Learn more about HESN here.
Nearly every few days this summer some horrific event rocked a community, country, and the world. Orlando, Bangladesh, Nice, Germany… the list goes on. Headlines refer to this summer as the “Summer of Hate” or the “Summer of Terror.” As a result of all these events, many were left reeling in the aftermath, afraid to travel and perhaps feeling declining faith in humanity. My summer travels took me to India and Bangladesh, staying in a hotel just minutes away from the location of the café attack in Dhaka. Luckily, I had returned to the US days before. Despite all the violence and uncertainty, my summer offered me something very different -- a glimmer of hope.
This summer, I was the Innovation Scale-Up Intern for the Center for Accelerating Innovation and Impact, a cross-cutting team at USAID in the Global Health Bureau. The Center utilizes business-minded approaches to develop, introduce, and scale health innovations. One of the major objectives of the center is to help interventions accelerate impact through market access and scaling efforts.
This summer, I led a market assessment in India and Bangladesh for a medical device called bubble CPAP (bCPAP), which is a type of CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine. Over 15 million babies are born prematurely each year and one of the most common complications is Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS)1. RDS is often fatal if not treated and the preferred treatment for RDS is CPAP therapy, as this device helps the baby to breathe by keeping the lungs open and preventing the lungs from collapsing. Nearly every hospital in the developed world has these devices but they are strikingly absent from facilities in developing countries. The bCPAP device is one of the preferred options for low resource settings as it is more cost effective but just as clinically effective as other CPAP devices.
This summer, I was the Innovation Scale-Up Intern for the Center for Accelerating Innovation and Impact, a cross-cutting team at USAID in the Global Health Bureau. The Center utilizes business-minded approaches to develop, introduce, and scale health innovations. One of the major objectives of the center is to help interventions accelerate impact through market access and scaling efforts.
This summer, I led a market assessment in India and Bangladesh for a medical device called bubble CPAP (bCPAP), which is a type of CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine. Over 15 million babies are born prematurely each year and one of the most common complications is Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS)1. RDS is often fatal if not treated and the preferred treatment for RDS is CPAP therapy, as this device helps the baby to breathe by keeping the lungs open and preventing the lungs from collapsing. Nearly every hospital in the developed world has these devices but they are strikingly absent from facilities in developing countries. The bCPAP device is one of the preferred options for low resource settings as it is more cost effective but just as clinically effective as other CPAP devices.
" I saw how I could use my business and consulting skills as a force for good..."
I traveled to India and Bangladesh for in-country research interviewing Ministry of Health officials, medical device manufacturers and distributors, NGOs, clinicians, and professional associations to gain an understanding of the neonatal care landscape, the size of the scaling opportunity, and to identify any scaling barriers. The purpose of the assessment was to provide recommendations to help USAID determine what efforts would be most effective to help increase the number of bCPAP devices and, in turn, the number of premature babies saved in both countries.
What an experience! Not only was I able to be a tourist and enjoy the cultural experience, as it was my first time in both countries, but the work was extremely interesting. I saw how I could use my business and consulting skills as a force for good and actually see impact on a pretty large scale. To top it off, I found out I wasn’t alone in this desire to use a business mindset to think hard, fast, and strategically but in the space of global health. Turns out, there are many people doing this and it was exciting to work alongside them for a time.
This summer, I met a neonatologist who makes bCPAP devices out of spare parts, an NGO program director who is stretched thin trying to manage multiple stakeholders to keep projects on track, a medical device specialist at a for-profit company who is committed to serving those most in need, and a USAID resource who works tirelessly to help source and scale life-saving innovations. So, while the world witnessed great tragedies, I saw first-hand the good in humanity. I witnessed so many people utilizing their strengths to make a positive impact on the lives of people who need it the most. While many have doubts after recent events, this summer gave me great hope not only that I will be able to find a space for my talents and passions, but also great hope in humanity. So, for me, this was a “Summer of Optimism.”
Thank you to all at CASE, SEAD, and the SIF program for making this summer experience a possibility for me.
1 PATH CPAP Guide to Selection
What an experience! Not only was I able to be a tourist and enjoy the cultural experience, as it was my first time in both countries, but the work was extremely interesting. I saw how I could use my business and consulting skills as a force for good and actually see impact on a pretty large scale. To top it off, I found out I wasn’t alone in this desire to use a business mindset to think hard, fast, and strategically but in the space of global health. Turns out, there are many people doing this and it was exciting to work alongside them for a time.
This summer, I met a neonatologist who makes bCPAP devices out of spare parts, an NGO program director who is stretched thin trying to manage multiple stakeholders to keep projects on track, a medical device specialist at a for-profit company who is committed to serving those most in need, and a USAID resource who works tirelessly to help source and scale life-saving innovations. So, while the world witnessed great tragedies, I saw first-hand the good in humanity. I witnessed so many people utilizing their strengths to make a positive impact on the lives of people who need it the most. While many have doubts after recent events, this summer gave me great hope not only that I will be able to find a space for my talents and passions, but also great hope in humanity. So, for me, this was a “Summer of Optimism.”
Thank you to all at CASE, SEAD, and the SIF program for making this summer experience a possibility for me.
1 PATH CPAP Guide to Selection
Courtney Cobb is a second-year MBA candidate at the Fuqua School of Business concentrating in Social Entrepreneurship and serving as Co-President of the Association of Women in Business. She also participated in FCCP working on a consulting project for North Star Alliance in Kenya. Prior to Fuqua, Courtney was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to earn a Masters of Economic Science in European Public Affairs and Law from the University College Dublin in Dublin, Ireland. She also spent over three years with Deloitte Consulting in the Strategy and Operations practice focusing on the healthcare provider space.
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