Global Health Design Collaborative

Number of members:  There are six teams, each with anywhere from 6-17 people so, around 100 members.
Responding member: Layasri Ranjith, Public Relations and Team Lead

One sentence description describing what the Global Health Design Collaborative does.

GHDC is a multidisciplinary student team at CWRU partnering with Makerere University to design and implement unique, student-made medical devices for healthcare problems in Uganda.

What are some of the most notable events of your year?

Our most notable event of the year is the annual Uganda trip. Every year, student teams get the opportunity to take the medical devices they have been working on to Uganda and learn more about user needs and anthropology alongside the engineering design feedback. Further, students also get a fantastic study abroad experience in another country with great food! Beyond this major event, throughout the year we work in our teams to create amazing and groundbreaking medical devices like vaccine carriers, pulse oximeters sensitive to a range of skin colors, discreet female contraceptive packaging and a needs assessment team to learn more about Ugandan's healthcare barriers (just a few examples!)

Three words that describe your organization.

Innovation, Equity, Altruism

What's your favorite part about being a member?

My favorite part of being a member is knowing that the work I'm doing is ultimately going to help someone in the future.

What do you think is the main reason people join your organization?

I think the main reason people join GHDC is because it presents an opportunity to volunteer your science education in a way - you're able to apply your practical coursework and have a huge impact. Beyond that, I think it's also highly rewarding to have that hands on experience and working to finish a project.

How can students get involved? 

There is always time to join GHDC! Follow our Instagram and send us a DM or sign up for our CampusGroups and shoot us an email. We welcome students of all majors - this is NOT a club limited to engineers. We appreciate the diverse viewpoints and creativity that results from having teams comprised of anything from engineering to political science!