The Hacking Medicine initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, for instance, has so far hosted almost 50 such events, teaming up engineers and data scientists with clinicians in 1- or 2-day events that are meant to quickly and iteratively work towards initial solutions to a host of health-care problems.
Among early results is an infant-resuscitation device for use in developing countries. The Ugandan paediatrician who first presented the problem has now taken the device into clinical trials in his country. The MIT initiative has helped to spark similar gatherings in places such as India and Uganda, led by the Consortium for Affordable Medical Technologies at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
