MONGO Bingo

Some of you may be familiar with the expression, “my own non-governmental organization” or MONGO, an appellation coined to describe a donation-supported charity started by a well-intentioned individual seeking to save the world from his/her chosen affliction (see NY Times 2010 article).  While doing good is laudable, I have questioned the effectiveness of MONGOs in [...]

Innovate or Die

About a year ago, I reviewed one of the more interesting foundation-funded projects in global health.  Thanks in part to the fortunes amassed by the former robber barons, Bill Gates and John Rockefeller, the Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI) started in early 2010 and “identifies, analyzes, and connects programs working to improve health and [...]

A Better Type of Prize

I’ve written posts previously about the idea of big-money prizes to stimulate interest and competition in creating new technology and products to address global (neglected) diseases and hold the opinion that they won’t work (my post of 12/9/10) and that investment-type funding is better (post of 7/21/11). At the other end of the prize spectrum [...]

Market Tested and Not-yet Approved

I recently met with the director of development for Boston University’s new Center for Global Health and Development (CGHD), an interdisciplinary program that is based in the School of Pubic Health but also calls on faculty from the other schools.  Largely grant-funded, the researchers of the center conduct studies aimed at generating information to guide [...]

News Flash from Puzzler Tower

As Ray Magliozzi, our former mechanic and co-host of Car Talk (NPR People) notes around this time of year, the Puzzler is on vacation.  And, so I am, at least this week, but not wishing to disappoint my devoted readers (all three of you), I offer a short list of sites that I think are [...]

The Emperor’s New Clothes

One of my favorite tales is the “Emperor’s New Clothes,” the most well-known version is that retold by the Danish folklorist, Hans Christian Anderson.  A vain emperor is convinced by scoundrels posing as tailors that they have created a beautiful set of clothes for him that can only been seen and appreciated by the sophisticated [...]

Watering the Grass

There’s been a recent bumper crop of proposals for funding the invention, development, and deployment of products to treat diseases of underserved populations.  For example: -the Fund for R&D in Neglected Diseases (FRIND) (Global Health Update); -the Global Health Accelerator (Health Affairs Abstract); and -the Health Impact Fund (Incentives for Global Health). And these are [...]