We’re a team of Harvard students passionate about global health innovation.

Technology and Global Health Initiative is a student group supported by Harvard Computer Society, a recognized student organization. We strive to advance global health equity through innovation, education, and partnerships. We build cutting-edge, compassionate solutions to address pressing health challenges and aim to equip students of all backgrounds with the skills to do so.

The Challenge

We have identified a communication gap between two sectors: health and technology.  On one hand, there is an unmet need for individuals with technical expertise in the global health sector, which impedes the integration of tech-driven solutions. On the other hand, many technologists struggle to develop the most compassionate and accessible solutions due to their limited proximity to the healthcare domain.

To reduce this divide, we work alongside technologists, health professionals, and the very communities impacted by the solutions we develop. We provide students with opportunities to learn about global health challenges and cultivate their understanding of the ethical applications of technology. As such, we hope to inspire the next generations of young leaders to envision a future in the field of global health technology. 

Our Philosophy to Problem-Solving

  • Our first step is defining the problem as specifically and narrowly as possible.

  • We employ an anthropological perspective to understand the communities and individuals who are directly impacted by the problem. At any point in our process, we want to know what would be most feasible and respectful, and checking in consistently allows us to adapt efficiently to the needs of our stakeholders.

  • We consider historical and socioeconomic context as we investigate systemic structures that may cause root issues to persist.

    When designing solutions, we consider accessibility, projecting a longer-term impact for what this solution might mean for the individuals who may benefit and possible disparities that may arise.

  • We recommend solutions, collect data, analyze and refine hypotheses, and then repeat.

  • We believe problems are best solved from a diversity of perspectives.

Through our work, we aim to:

  1. Expand conversations about the intersection of global health and technology

  2. Educate students about social technology and its ethical deployment in global health

  3. Empower students to become the global health leaders of the future

What Sets Us Apart

  • Our board, fellowship, and project teams consist of students who have anywhere from no global health or tech background to extensive experience with research in computer science and global health. Our community is built on the philosophy that collaboration and multidisciplinary conversation is key.

    Unlike many other tech groups on campus, you don’t need to know ANY programming or have ANY global health experience to make an immediate impact. If you join, you will have the opportunity to complete a project by the end of the term that builds your technical skills and makes progress on real global health issues today.

  • Our approach involves a heavy emphasis on collaboration with experts and stakeholders local to the issues we seek to address. Especially as many of our technologies aim to help people living on the other side of the globe, we strongly believe that our projects are really less about the actual “programming” and more about understanding the people and sociocultural context underlying the challenges at hand. Our sole focus is to serve our local stakeholders in whatever capacity they need.

  • We’re a small, new student group. For this reason, we are committed to ensuring that every member has a tangible impact, and we recruit students who have an authentic interest in humanitarian health challenges and making a difference. If you care about bureaucracy and prestige, this is probably not the best place for you.