Global Perspectives on Digital Health

• Evolving beyond verticals and funding what matters in healthcare

  🔍 I speak with Rubayat Khan, a systems thinker, entrepreneur, and now investor at the Endless Foundation, where he is helping reimagine how global health innovation is funded and delivered.We unpack what it means to move beyond vertical health solutions, how to prioritize innovation in an era of shrinking aid budgets, and how large language models (LLMs) might be the missing piece in unlocking integrated, people-centered care especially in low-resource settings. We also talk about the challenges, risks, pitfalls and how to think about the right counterfactuals for the context when we evaluate LLMs in healthcare.Rubayat brings the rare perspective of someone who has been a patient, builder, and funder, and who now advocates for rethinking everything from clinic hours to global incentive structures.🔑 In this episode:Why governments are not always best placed to design people-centered care : an example of this was the fact that government run clinical in villages in rural Bangladesh were only open 10am till 2pm. And so nobody would access them as people are working on the fields or caring for their family. Four priority areas Endless Foundation is focusing onHow LLMs could shift access, quality, and cost curve if implemented thoughtfullyWhy self-care is the blind spot we can no longer afford to ignoreThe dangers of "digital colonialism" and what needs to change in global AI governanceWhat funders can do differently to support impact beyond rhetoric🗣️ Key Quotes“Most of what we call healthcare happens outside clinics. If we ignore that, we miss the biggest opportunity for real impact.”To paraphrase Rubayat:"A consultation with a doctor in Bangladesh averages 48 seconds. There should be little surprise that people (including Rubayat's parents!) find value and better quality information with a LLM than they would in their own contexts. So much valuable insight for people who are building, or wrestling how to invest or fund the right interventions for last mile impact in LMICs. 🎧 Listen if you’re:A global health funder or innovator rethinking priorities post development cutsA builder working on AI in healthcareA policymaker exploring people-centered designAn innovator aiming to solve real problems in underserved settingsShare, subscribe, comment, leave us a 5 star review. It really helps us reach people who would find this useful. About RubayatReubayat's Substack: https://rubayatkhan.substack.com/Rubayat Khan is a health entrepreneur and technologist from Bangladesh and currently Director of Health Programs at Endless Network, a US family foundation. Prior to Endless, Rubayat co-founded mPower Social Enterprises and Jeeon, which have both pioneered innovative models for delivering healthcare and other essential services to last-mile populations across 15 countries, currently reaching over 120 million people. Rubayat is a passionate advocate for bottom-up and user-centered thinking in global health, and has written extensively in leading global publications like the Guardian, SSIR and Frontiers in Public Health. He is an Acumen and Aspen New Voices Fellow, and is currently based in Baltimore with his wife and two children. (00:00) - Introduction (08:33) - Navigating the Challenges of Healthcare in Bangladesh (10:46) - Transitioning from Ground-Level Solutions to System-Level Thinking (18:07) - Identifying Key Challenges in Global Health Systems (23:20) - Seizing Opportunities Amidst Crisis in Global Health (29:30) - Leveraging AI and Technology for Healthcare Transformation (37:49) - AI vs Human Decision-Making in Healthcare (41:26) - Evaluating AI in Healthcare Contexts (44:07) - AI's Potential in Low-Resource Settings (46:47) - Concerns About Digital Colonialism and Data Ownership (51:05) - The Need for Coordinated Leadership in Healthcare (54:26) - Finding the Right Problems to Solve

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• Healthtech comms. Communicate your impact

  Your Metrics Don’t Matter If No One Gets the Message : Health Tech Comms with James Somauroo of SomX. Listen on Apple, Spotify. Watch on Youtube. We cover one of the most overlooked drivers of success in health innovation: communication. Our guest, James Somauroo, has hosted over 400 podcasts and built one of the most influential media and communications agencies in health tech. His work spans startups, Big Tech, life sciences, and everything in between, helping organizations craft messages that resonate, build trust, and drive impact.We explore why so many well-intentioned digital health projects struggle to scale. Not because the tech or evidence isn’t good enough, but because the story isn’t being told in a way people understand or care about.🧠 What You’ll Learn:Why comms is a massive unlock all the way from policy, implementation to on the ground innovation. How to go beyond metrics to communicate real value and outcomes. Thinking about 2nd and 3rd order effects the way journalists do. What makes a pitch deck land with donors or investorsThe power of giving people value in content to stand out. Don't just try to beat the algorithm!🎧 Who Should Listen:Anyone trying to change people's mindsHealth tech founders, especially those working in low and middle-income countriesGlobal health implementers, policymakers, and fundersAnyone trying to drive adoption, trust, or policy buy-in for digital health solutions📣  Subscribe, Connect & Share:If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone trying to make their work land more powerfully — whether with partners, funders, or frontline teams. And let us know your biggest takeaway on LinkedIn👋🏾 About ShubsDr Shubs Upadhyay, the podcast host is a Primary care physician who has worked across policy, AI product leadership, and evidence comms. Shubs brings clinical leadership to help founders and investors focus on and communicate real value in healthcare. Get in touch at shubs.me and [email protected] JamesJames is the cofounder and CEO of SomX, a communications and creative agency for healthcare companies. He hosts The Healthtech Podcast and is the Editor-In-Chief of Healthtech Pigeon. He is an anaesthetics and ICU doctor by training, has held roles in leadership, management and innovation at NHS England, Health Education England and the British Medical Journal and previously directed two healthtech startup accelerators. He has degrees in medicine, biomedical sciences and education and is a guest lecturer on healthtech innovation and entrepreneurship at academic institutions around the world. (00:00) - Introduction to James and SomX (07:51) - The Evolution of Health Communications (13:12) - State of Comms in Digital Health (18:20) - Navigating the Attention Economy (21:00) - The Importance of Authenticity in Content (23:41) - Psychology in Marketing and Communication (31:11) - The Role of Emotion in Decision Making (32:48) - Transforming Scientific Communication through Storytelling (37:09) - Crafting Compelling Narratives for Impact (43:59) - Communicating Evidence Effectively (48:28) - The Importance of Sharing Failures (52:10) - James' quick fire tips (00:00) - Chapter 13

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• How the World Health Organization is evolving

  A conversation on the future of the World Health Organization, rethinking how we approach digital implementation and funding in LMICs, and what it really means to decolonize global health.“Countries need to be in the driver’s seat of their own development agenda… The earmarking of assistance has to stop.” -  Dr. Alain Labrique, Director, Digital and Innovation, World Health OrganizationAbsolutely chuffed to have had the chance to speak with WHO Director of Digital Health and Innovation, Dr Alain Labrique.  That he’s also a listener of the podcast? Even better.Alain is an engaging storyteller, shaped by a childhood in the streets of Dhaka and decades spent advancing implementation science to reach underserved communities.We spoke at length about the unfolding crisis in healthcare delivery in many settings that have relied heavily on development funding. While the impact on clinical services has received attention, Alain highlighted a deeper, less visible collapse: the quiet failure of digital infrastructure: servers, IT systems, and backend platforms now left unfunded and unsupported.At the same time, WHO itself is navigating similar pressures: budget cuts, shifting priorities, and an urgent need to re-focus. Alain offers a refreshingly honest take on what comes next for WHO and how the organization can stay relevant in a rapidly changing world.Crucially, it's inspiring to hear a leader from such an influential institution speak with clarity and conviction about shifting power, building local ownership, and rethinking how global health is funded and framed.On our episode on AI ethics with Jess Morley, she spoke about how rhetoric shapes collective mindsets and changes behavior and markets. This conversation with Alain is, in my view, the kind of rhetoric we need more of.00:00 Introduction and Background of Alain Labrique12:05 Development funding cuts impact on digital infrastructure24:01 What future funding mechanisms need to consider27:26 The Role of Private Sector in Health Infrastructure31:14 Responsible Partnerships in Health Innovation33:00 The Evolving Role of WHO in Digital health now38:21 Building Capacity and Governance in Health Systems40:41 Navigating AI in Health Care46:22 Learning from Failures in Health Initiatives50:27 Advice to Founders building in Underserved Communities

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• Implementation 101 and how to fail well

  Implementation. What does it mean? Why is it hard? How do we get it right? Failure. Are we, in Global Digital Health, thinking and acting in a way that doesn't help us move forward?Caroline Perrin, Director of the Geneva Digital Health Hub joins us on the Global Perspectives on Digital Health podcast to share her views on this. This episode is for the people doing the work to ensure digital health tools actually work for people.It's about the messy realities - people, process, managing change and looking to constantly improve as our assumptions get updated. How to work through the hard, day to day challenges towards real outcomes for people experiencing and delivering care.We hear about: How the Geneva Digital Health Hub's Implementome maps out implementations across the world, especially the Global south and brings together a Community of people wrestling similar problems for knowledge exchange and connectionThe key challenges in getting digital health tools adopted, and how to use good implementation principles to get through the messy, day to day realitiesChallenges in Monitoring and Evaluation, and how to get the balance right between impact on what matters and what is in your locus of control. How our industry and ecosystem needs to rethink how we talk about failure, and how we're opening up this conversation at the Geneva Digital Health day on 22 May 2025Plus some great examples and ways you can share challenges to contribute to the ecosystem. Links:Building and Implementing? Join Implementome: https://gdhub.unige.ch/implementome/mainDigital Health Atlas: https://gdhub.unige.ch/implementome/projectsGeneva Digital Health Day: https://gdhub.org/25gdhd/Implementation Reports: https://medinform.jmir.org/themes/145-implementation-reportiCHECK-DH Guidelines: https://www.jmir.org/2023/1/e46694Chapters (with quick links)00:00Introduction to Digital Health and Geneva Digital Health Hub07:40Understanding Implementation in Digital Health12:22A community of implementors20:09Approaching Implementation as Founders and Developers26:19Monitoring and Evaluation Challenges32:45Future of Digital Health in Underserved Communities35:31Navigating Uncertainty in Digital Health Projects38:45Rethinking Success and Failure in Health Evaluations45:46The Need for a Paradigm Shift in Global Health49:53Creating Safe Spaces for Sharing Failures54:04Building Communities of Practice for Learning57:30Finding Hope in the Face of ChallengesAbout CarolineCaroline Perrin is the Executive Director of the Geneva Digital Health Hub (gdhub) and has over 15 years of experience in digital innovation, programme management and multi-stakeholder collaboration. She specialises in using technology to improve the efficiency, sustainability and impact of health care. With a PhD in Global Health, a Master's in Information Systems Management, and a Bachelor's in Business Administration, she has led large-scale digital health initiatives and worked with governments, international organisations, and the private sector to drive innovation and policy alignment. Previously, she was a project manager for the RAFT telemedicine network and the Geneva University Hospitals eHealth and Telemedicine Service, focusing on the development and evaluation of digital health solutions to strengthen health systems. Caroline is passionate about bridging technology, strategy and policy to create scalable, high-impact solutions.Help GPODH growSubscribe, leave us a comment on Youtube or your podcast player if you found this useful. It really does help us grow and reach the right people who would benefit from this podcast. Who would benefit from this in your network? Please share the love 💕Find out more about me and read my Substack: https://shubstack.substack.com/

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• From crisis to revolution. Why Africa's moment is now, a healthtech VC's case.

  A healthtech investor's view on healthcare in Africa in the next 10 years. If you’re building or investing for impact with underserved communities in Africa, this episode is for you. Rowena Luk has walked the talk. She is the ‘OG’ of creating visibility on digital health in Africa, and has built and scaled for impact in over 40 countries on the continent, and has now scaled her own impact to support founders through her VC firm Africa Health Ventures. This episode covers so much, especially the challenges that Africa faces through development aid funding cuts. Rowena is bullish about where healthcare in Africa can get to, and makes a measured and compelling case for why this is a real moment to turn crisis into opportunity, and how the right mindset from VCs can help create resilient businesses that can scale and realize real health outcomes. I’ve often been vocal and skeptical about how hyper-fixated our industry is on financial aspects of value, and we discussed this at length. Rowena definitely altered my perspective.My highlights:This is Africa’s moment. Rowena’s case for investing and the hard metrics business case is pretty compelling. It is not always the case that VCs look at the short term only. In fact, philanthropy and development funding cycles themselves are short, and good VCs have a 10+ year view and look at broader value.You have to meet the market where it’s at. My takeaway: Africa is not homogenous. Do the work to know what is needed right now, and build a path to where you want to get. If you’re a US or Europe based investor looking to invest in Africa, check your biases and leave your mental models at the door. Things are different here, in a good way. Useful advice for people building and investing in AfricaThe importance of investing in distribution and infrastructure.  My read: You might have the perfect tool, but it’s hard to get hospitals and institutions to even know about them, let alone maintain, find payment models and have a path to adoption.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Digital Health in Africa04:36 Rowena's Journey in Digital Health06:43 The Investing landscape in Africa13:19 The case for VC investment over philanthropic funding20:47 Reimagining healthcare in Africa : building resilient health systems26:00 Do VCs see value beyond financial returns?29:08 Myths and Realities of Investing in Africa36:14 Understanding Investment Biases in Africa38:39 Identifying Market Needs and Product Diversity40:44 Evaluating Healthcare Solutions and Market Readiness42:22 Spotlight on Innovative Startups46:26 Learning from Past Experiences51:56 Key Tips for Building in Underserved Communities54:30 Getting Started with Impact Investing54:54 The Future of Healthcare in AfricaAdditional ResourcesIf you're a healthcare founder, investor, or donor in Africa, check out the Africa Health Ventures monthly newsletter. It includes grant and investment opportunities, events, deals, notable startups, and industry news. Subscribe at AfricaHealthVentures.com/Newsletter.About RowenaRowena Luk is the Managing Partner of Africa Health Ventures, a pan-African seed fund investing in healthcare innovations that will dramatically improve access and quality of healthcare on the continent and around the world. She is a healthtech founder, entrepreneur, and software engineer. She has deep experience scaling healthtech in 40 countries across Africa, including products adopted at national and international scale. Previously, Rowena was a Director at Madiro, an impact fund investing in healthcare in Africa; CSO at Dimagi, a social enterprise deploying digital health to 130 countries, and founder of a digital health nonprofit in West Africa. She hosts the Africa Health Ventures Podcast and lives with her family in beautiful South Africa. Help GPODH growSubscribe, leave us a comment on Youtube or your podcast player if you found this useful. It really does help us grow and reach the right people who would benefit from this podcast. Who would benefit from this in your network? Please share the love 💕

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