technology needs​ in emergency medicine

Our course followed the first two steps of the Stanford Biodesign process: needs finding and screening. My team of American and Nepali engineers focused on emergency medicine, spending weeks observing ERs at Dhulikhel Hospital, the Annapurna Neurologic Institute, and a two-room outpost in the Himalayan foothills: the Bolde Outreach Center.

​

We observed clinicians and engineers, recorded extensive notes, and interviewed stakeholders to define and refine our direction.  From this, we identified 3 top needs: improved emergency transport, medical device maintenance, and patient record keeping. Aiming to develop a product, we selected the most actionable need: device maintenance, particularly calibrators for critical equipment like defibrillators and ventilators. We then assessed the market (our engineering mentor had long hoped for a $3000 Fluke calibrator) and developed constraints and criteria for novel, more accessible solutions. We presented our work to clinicians and engineers from Dhulikhel Hospital and Kathmandu University Engineering, including the heads of both institutions.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​​

​

global collaboration and sustainable partnerships

My first experience in a healthcare setting abroad, this trip shaped my approach to global health and collaboration. I learned some early lessons for working abroad in sensitive settings: (1) listen first; and if you have to speak, try to ask a question (2) have a good reason for being anywhere in a hospital; if you don't have one, go to the waiting room (3) breathe. These laid a foundation for my later work leading clinical studies in NICUs at Texas Children's and in Malawi.

​​

Additionally, this was my first opportunity to join a bi-directional, international collaboration. Upon returning to UW, I co-founded a joint Bioengineers Without Borders (BWB) team to partner with Kathmandu University's Design Lab. We collaborated on projects like 3D printed prosthetics and low-cost ventilators for COVID-19. Later, as part of my honors project, I authored a 12-page roadmap to sustain and bolster this partnership, outlining strategies that were successful elsewhere for continued impact.