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​World Technology Partners announce Winners of
Public Health Competition
For Immediate Release April 1, 2024 Contact: Paul Frank
609-285-9063 paulfrank@worldtechnologypartners.net
World Technology Partners, a private LLC based outside of Princeton, New Jersey has announced the winners of its first Public Health Challenge, which provides “micro-honorariums” to college and university students around the world for projects where populations in economically challenged parts of the world can benefit for innovative public health. The projects for the Public Health Challenges focus on the United Nations Sustainable Goals and the World Health Organization’s most urgent challenges, including diabetes control, health care systems and malnutrition and food safety. Winners will receive a small stipend ($125 to $500), presentation opportunities and visibility on the World Technology Partners website, www.worldtechnology partners.net. Submissions were judged by an impartial selection committee made up of academic leaders, and public health professionals from Bulgaria, India, Japan, Liberia, Palestine and the US.
The Winners are:
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First Place: Christopher DeLuca and Julia McGregor, master’s students in the Global Health Systems program at Western University in London, Ontario. Joint project: Seeds for Change: Harnessing the Purification Power of Moringa Seeds to Improve Water Quality in Gweri County of Uganda. The team proposes the distribution of moringa seeds, which have water purification properties, to local communities for their use. In tandem, the students seek to work with local organizations and stakeholders to create educational workshops teaching community members on usage and growing, to sustainably develop innovative use of moringa seeds.
Second Place: Abby Blocker, a PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. Project: a user-centered design of a virtual clinic system for primary healthcare in remote, rural, and underserved areas. The virtual clinic will connect patients and community health workers from rural areas to doctors and specialists in urban areas, promoting access to healthcare through virtual means rather than through face-to-face consultation.
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Third Place: Sara Emad, 5th Year Medical Student, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt - Project: NILE (Nurturing Individuals with Lifestyle changes and Effective management) to tackle the diabetes health crisis head-on. Research can identify cultural barriers to diabetes management in Egypt, leading to the development of culturally sensitive solutions that resonate with diverse populations facing similar challenges.
Director's Discretionary Award: Tan Fuen Ann, a Masters Candidate in Food Science from the Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia Project: Assessing the cardioprotective potential of stingless bee honey from Sabah through in vitro evaluation. Their findings highlight impressive benefits of stingless bee honey and botanical diversity. This groundwork paves the way for further exploration, refining understanding of cardioprotective potential of the honey and associated phenolic compounds, contributing to impactful research applications benefiting both industry and local communities.
On April 11,, World Technology Partners will hold an hour long “World Tech Chat” webinar during which each of the winners will make a presentation and answer questions. The webinar will be moderated by Augustine Samorlu, Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at Cuttington University in Liberia. Registration for this free webinar is available at www.worldtechnologypartners/worldtechchats.
Later this year, follow-up webinars will be offered specifically designed for public health and government officials in each region highlighting the projects. The mission of World Technology Partners is to promote technology around the world through development of informational, programming and educational resources. Additional information can be found on our website at www.worldtechnologypartners.net.
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