Celebrating the first graduates of the Clinical Innovation Fellowships in Egypt!

Egypt

The background music cued as Rawan Bassam, Country Director of enpact Egypt stepped on the stage, presenting the most awaited moment for the eight participants of the Clinical Innovation Fellowships 2020: Their graduation ceremony!

By the bank of the Nile in Zamalek, we had the honor of being hosted by the Swedish Embassy in Cairo to celebrate this occasion. And despite the chilly weather, we were happy to see the thrill and excitement in the eyes of the fellows. The event was also streamed live via zoom, where representatives of the program’s international partners, RISE Research Institute of Sweden and EIT Health, along with program alumni and members of the international EIT Health network were virtually present.

‘’Innovation is no longer a luxury. It is crucial for transforming how we do business, how we communicate, educate, recreate and of course how we seek medical care. Sweden is looking forward to working with Egypt and to support its healthcare reforms and ambitions to become a regional center of excellence.’’ – the Chargé d’affaires of Sweden in Egypt, Dr. Per-Axel Frielingsdorf

In the framework of its collaboration with RISE research Institutes of Sweden and EIT Health, enpact brought the Clinical Innovation Fellowships for the first time in Egypt in April 2020.  This swedish innovation program is an eight-month scholarship that enables its participants to work in transdisciplinary teams following the Stanford Biodesign methodology. Eight participants with backgrounds in Business, Medicine, Engineering and Product Design were on the jump to develop solutions based on tangible healthcare needs. Together, they identified tangible challenges during a six-week clinical immersion experience, which took place at the Children’s Cancer Hospital Egypt 57357 (CCHE). 

For the Clinical Innovation Fellowships, the immersion phase is the cornerstone. Because, based on the Stanford Biodesign methodology, the participants have to develop real needs-based solutions. And that is what the fellows succeeded in; they could fully grasp the patient experience while being immersed in the clinical setting; they validated and shortlisted around 20 challenges; and hence generated patient-centric solution concepts that tackle substantial challenges facing healthcare systems in the oncology field.

Graduation is just a beginning!

During the graduation ceremony, the fellows presented the needs they identified and pitched the health-tech solutions they came up with. Their pitches captured the attention of the guests who also showed gratified recognition for the efforts behind organizing the program. Both teams also announced their willingness to continue their healthcare innovation journey by implementing their solutions on the ground, aiming to realize holistic healthcare service for cancer patients in Egypt.

The Clinical Innovation Fellowships was initially launched ten years ago in Sweden. For many of the fellows over these years, the program has been a kick-start to create start-ups in the medical technology field. 

In April 2021, we, together with RISE and EIT Health will kickstart the second cohort of the Clinical Innovation Fellowships in Egypt. If you are interested in supporting the program through offering mentoring or collaborations, reach out to us through info@enpact.org.