Project no.8: The WHO First Global Forum for Medical Devices
Sarah Burgarella (Biomedical System Engineer in the “Advanced System Technology (AST)” division of STMicroelectronics, Milan, Italy) partecipated at the First Global Forum on Medical Devices (Bangkok, Thailand - September 2010) organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and presented a project for the realization of a medical device at low cost for the diagnosis of malaria and AIDS in developing countries. The project “Portable on-site cell sorter and counter for HIV and malaria diagnosis” has been recognized by the WHO among the 15 innovative research technologies for global health in the Call for Innovative Technologies That Address Global Health Concerns. The proposal has been selected by the experts of WHO in the competition on a total of 84 projects from 29 countries.
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The First Global Forum for Medical Devices took place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 9 to 11 September 2010. More than 350 experts from the biomedical world from 119 nations came together to share their knowledge and build networks of international collaborations: officials from Health Ministries and stakeholders were present, including representatives of international organizations, financial support agencies, academic institutions and industries active in the production of medical devices. Objective of the forum, as stated in the opening speech by the General Director of the World Health Organization, Dr. Margaret Chan, was to find technical and economic solutions so that developing countries can access biomedical technologies for diagnosis and treatment.
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View some pictures of the conference
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