Bioengineering for Global Health

Everyday, mothers around the world have to watch their newborns die from conditions that are easily treatable. Nearly 3 million newborns die in their first month in low-resource settings, and 80% of those deaths are preventable. Their conditions can be treated with known interventions, but many newborns do not receive attention because facilities are understaffed and under-equipped.

There is a need for medical solutions that are designed specifically for resource-constrained environments. Neopenda has created a wearable vital signs monitor that alerts nurses when newborns are in immediate need of attention. It started as a student project in a biodesign course at Columbia University (USA), and shortly thereafter the co-founders created a social enterprise to design health solutions for underserved communities. Wearable technologies are rapidly improving to meet the cost, power, and performance constraints of low-resource settings. Neopenda is excited to reimagine what’s possible within the realm of wearables and the Internet of Things, and use it to save newborn lives.