SUPPORTING STELLAR INNOVATIONS: UNITE FOR SIGHT’S 4TH ANNUAL GHIC INNOVATION PRIZE

Unite For Sight awarded Pratap Kumar, CEO and Co-Founder of Health-E-Net, a healthcare social enterprise in Kenya, with the 4th annual $10,000 GHIC Innovation Prize at the 15th annual Global Health & Innovation Conference. Kumar's innovation, PaperEMR, has forged new ground in the world of medical records using rubber stamp templates to document and digitalize patient information in low and middle-income countries. Kumar and his team said that "winning the innovation prize at GHIC 2018 was the perfect end to a wonderful conference! Both the poster session and social impact lab gave us platforms to share our work with the global health community. The recognition gives the young team in Nairobi global visibility, providing the small, dedicated, and capable group the conviction to continue our work supporting frontline healthcare providers. We look forward to building on the feedback, encouragement, and connections from GHIC to make PaperEMR an important tool for achieving the SDGs for health."

Jonathan Sigworth, Co-Founder of More Than Walking, Incorporated, was the winner of the $5,000 GHIC Innovation Prize. Sigworth said that "attending GHIC this year was an opportunity for our team to grow and learn. In competing for the GHIC Innovation prize, we felt supported and challenged to better articulate the potential impact and plan for our start-up non-profit. Winning the $5,000 prize means that we can provide a pilot course of independent living skills to thousands of people living with severe paralysis. Moreover, we came home with new mentors, partners, and insightful experiences. Thank you for believing in our vision!"

Unite For Sight recently hosted the 15th annual Global Health & Innovation Conference (GHIC), which is the world's leading and largest global health and social entrepreneurship conference and which brings together over 2,000 professionals and students from all 50 states and more than 55 countries. The GHIC supports innovations that use data, outcomes measurements, and the knowledge from local communities to make positive change.

The GHIC Innovation Prize is one of many aspects of the conference that supports new and effective ideas, programs, and organizations related to any field within health, development, education, or entrepreneurship. The Innovation Prize is a cash prize that is awarded to the best social impact pitches that are presented at the GHIC. Five expert judges, noted below, evaluated the semifinalists according to rigorous criteria, ensuring the pitched solutions adhere to evidence-based, locally-responsible, and outcomes-centered best practices.

• Tricia Bolender, Strategy Consultant and Leadership Coach, Tricia Bolender Consulting

• Paul Ellingstad, Managing Partner, PTI Advisors

• Bobby Jefferson, VP, Chief Technology Officer, DAI Global Health

• Jordan Levy, Chief External Relations Officer, Ubuntu Pathways

• Charles MacCormack, President Emeritus, Save the Children; Executive Chair, Health MDG Alliance

All 15 semifinalists who pitched for the highly competitive Innovation Prize this year focused on locally-responsible and innovative solutions, with emphases on local collaborations and partners, as well as on detailed plans regarding data collection and outcome measurements. Kumar and Sigworth's outstanding programs model the dedication and best practices present throughout the conference as leaders, changemakers, and participants engaged in dialogue and collaborated on cutting-edge, evidence-based ideas in global health, social entrepreneurship, and international development.