Digital transformations are shaping all aspects of our lives, including health. Digital innovations can help to improve young people’s health and well-being and achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through their application in health systems, public health promotion and prevention, and personal self-management of health status and behaviours. Without good governance, digital transformations can undermine health and exacerbate inequality. As levels of connectivity increase, concerted efforts are required to ensure that digital technologies are harnessed in support of better health and well-being for all and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
The DTH-Lab remains committed to a value-based approach to digital transformations grounded in Health for All objectives and principles outlined in the Governing Health Futures 2030 Commission report.
As an innovative thought leader and action-oriented platform, the DTH-Lab pushes the boundaries in advancing a value-driven approach to digital transformations for health by operating in the following ways:
The Steering committee is composed of representatives from key stakeholders of the DTH-Lab including the Lab Director and Executive Director, Founding Members, Consortium Partners, a Regional Youth Champion and leadership from the hosting institution.
Steering Committee members may change as the project develops to accommodate for strategic opportunities.
The DTH-Lab operates through a distributive governance model, initially led by three core partners: Ashoka University (India), DTH-Lab (Switzerland) and PharmAccess (Nigeria). Collectively, the core partners bring invaluable competencies, access and networks to the DTH-Lab:
The DTH-Lab operates in a growing landscape of actors working at the intersection of digital transformations, health and governance. The Lab collaborates with organizations that have well established and trusted ways of working with communities at the local level. It works with a diverse range of stakeholders from academia, intergovernmental bodies, donors, national governments, convenors, civil society organizations and private sector organizations.
Partnerships are a vital predictor of success for the DTH-Lab so it will continually expand and attract new partnerships including youth networks and organizations to ensure collaborative and sustainable mechanisms to create change.
The DTH-Lab’s offices are located in Europe, Africa and Asia. The DTH-Lab headquarters is hosted by the University of Geneva Faculty of Medicine based at Campus Biotech in Geneva, Switzerland. The DTH-Lab Nigeria office is hosted by PharmAccess Foundation in Lagos, Nigeria and the India office is hosted by Ashoka University’s Koita Centre for Digital Health in Sonepat, India.
Professor Anurag Agrawal is Dean, BioSciences and Health Research, Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University, India, and former director of the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, a national laboratory of CSIR, India. After completing graduate medical education at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, he further trained in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA, followed by a PhD in Physiology from Delhi University. His primary research is in respiratory biology and broader interests are in a new vision of health and healthcare seen through the lenses of emerging technologies. He serves on numerous national and global advisory groups, recently chairing the World Health Organization technical advisory group for SARS CoV2 viral evolution, the Lancet-Financial Times commission for governing digital health futures, and serving on the pandemic preparedness subgroup at the Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence. He received the Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Prize in 2014, the Sun Pharma Foundation award in 2020, and is a fellow of the Indian national science and medical academies.
Aferdita Bytyqi is the Executive Director of the DTH-Lab ensuring the success of overall project goals and strategic objectives of the DTH-Lab both internally and with key external stakeholders within the global health ecosystem. With a career spanning over 25 years, she brings a wealth of progressive programmatic experience in spearheading international research, development, and regeneration initiatives on behalf of multilateral and bilateral agencies, as well as private donors. Her previous professional contributions include ICS Integrare, MBM, FAO, WHO and the Senior Coordinator of the Lancet and Financial Times Commission. Aferdita has a Dipl. Ing in Architecture and an M.Sc. in Urban Design in Development from UCL.
Antoine Geissbühler is an internist and specialist in medical informatics. A full professor since 2006, he is also Director of the HUG Innovation Centre and Head of the Division of e-Health and Telemedicine, which has been designed as a WHO collaborating centre. His research focuses on the design and application of new IT tools in the medical field. In particular, he helped implement Switzerland's e-health strategy and developed the RAFT project, a major telemedicine network linking hundreds of healthcare professionals in 20 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Since 2022, he has also been President of BioAlps, the life sciences cluster for Western Switzerland. Antoine Geissbühler, a former vice-dean of the Faculty of Medicine, and is UNIGE's vice-rector in charge of digital strategy and innovation until July 2023. He becomes Dean of the UNIGE Faculty of Medicine on 15 July 2023.
Ilona Kickbusch is the Director of the DTH-Lab. She is a visiting professor at the University of Geneva, the founding director, chair and senior distinguished fellow of the Global Health Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. She is known throughout the world for her expertise and is a sought after senior adviser and key note speaker. Her areas of expertise include the determinants of health, health in all policies, and global health governance. She advises countries on their global health strategies, trains health specialists, and is involved in German G7 and G20 health activities. She publishes widely and serves on various commissions and boards. She has been awarded the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesverdienstkreuz) in recognition of her invaluable contributions to innovation in governance for global health and global health diplomacy. She has also been awarded the WHO Medal in recognition of her contribution to global health.
Dr Rohinton Medhora is a founding member of the DTH-Lab and special advisor. He is professor of practice at McGill University's Institute for the Study of International Development and distinguished fellow and former president at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. Previously, he was vice president of programs at Canada’s International Development Research Centre. He is chair of the board of the Institute for New Economic Thinking, serves on several other boards of non-profits, and sits on the Commission on Global Economic Transformation, co-chaired by Nobel economics laureates Michael Spence and Joseph Stiglitz. In 2021-22 Rohinton chaired the Ontario Workplace Recovery Advisory Committee.
Njide Ndili is the Country Director for PharmAccess Nigeria. She is the Vice President of the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria an advocacy platform seeking greater involvement of the private sector in strengthening the Nigerian healthcare system. Njide was a Commissioner for the Lancet and Financial Times Commission on Governing health futures 2030 to accelerate UHC using digital technology, especially for the youth in LMIC. Njide’s qualifications include an MSc Health Economics, Policy and Management, London School of Economics; AMP INSEAD Business School France; MBA University of Houston; Post Graduate Diploma Finance and B. Sc. Computer Science, University of Nigeria.
Universal Health Coverage | Digital Health | Geopolitics | Policy
Inês Viva’s medical journey spans clinical medicine, research, and consultancy in various esteemed institutions. Her leadership qualities are evident from her tenure on executive boards of NGOs affiliated with WHO and the UN such as the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations. Through these platforms, she has made significant contributions to policy drafts and has been a pillar in healthcare student capacity building, focusing on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Her impressive communication prowess was further showcased during her recent Bluebook traineeship at the European Commission, where she delved into pharmaceutical legislation and access to medicines. At present, Inês Viva’s contributions are enriching the OECD, as she zeroes in on the critical subject of Health systems resilience.
Enow Awah Georges Stevens, MD is a Youth Frontline Health Worker and a skilled youth engagement consultant. Enow strongly believes in the power of Digital health technology and innovation in edifying society and works in line with health applications of technology. This complements his work as the Youth Officer for The Digital Transformations of Health Lab (DTH-Lab), a global consortium of partners working to drive implementation of the Lancet and Financial Times Commission on Governing Health Futures 2030’s recommendations for value-based and youth-centred digital transformations of health at global and national levels. He has strong relationship-building abilities, project management experience, and knowledge of digital health product deployment, and leverages these to support youth projects.
Whitney Gray is the Youth Engagement Coordinator at the Digital Transformations for Health Lab. She has a degree in pre-medical biology and medical ethics and holds two Masters degrees in Public Health and International Affairs. Ms Gray’s experience includes biomedical research, health systems strengthening, global health governance and civil society engagement. With a longstanding desire to advance the health and wellbeing of all, she works to improve the inclusivity of actors in the design and implementation of research, policy and solutions for health.
Louise Holly has more than 20 years’ experience of global policy analysis, research and evidence-based advocacy focused on advancing the health and rights of children, adolescents and youth. Following roles with Save the Children and UNICEF, Louise worked as an independent consultant for several years supporting the Lancet and Financial Times Commission on Governing Health Futures 2030 and other organizations including Transform Health and PMNCH. In July 2023, Louise became the Policy and Research Coordinator at the DTH-Lab where she coordinates the consortium’s knowledge generation, analysis and policy influencing work.
Tomiwa Akinsanya, Project Coordinator at the Digital Transformations for Health Lab, is passionate about using digital technologies and innovative behavioral sciences to enhance global youth health. Tomiwa has worked with respected organizations dedicated to advancing digital health and youth well-being globally. With almost a decade of experience, a B.Sc in Physiology and a Masters in Public Health, she applies specialized skills in research, project management, communication, stakeholder management, and advocacy to improve health systems for the benefit of all. Her core values are aligned with Innovation, Empathy, Creativity, Integirty, Team Work and Excellence.
Arundhati Rajan is a Research Assistant at DTH-Lab and facilitates the creation and execution of DTH's projects in collaboration with DTH's India partner- KCDH-A. She holds a double-major in Economics and Computer Science at Ashoka University and is interested in digital health, more specifically, quantifying the impact of digital health interventions on biological outcomes. She has worked on multiple research-intensive initiatives with renowned organizations in the public health space.
Mohamed El Amine serves as the Communications Coordinator at DTH-Lab, bringing substantial experience in global health advocacy, communication, and organizational development. He has honed his skills through years of engagement with organizations such as the IFMSA and WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Amine’s dedication to global health is deeply rooted in his commitment to health equity and social justice. He firmly believes in leveraging meaningful youth engagement to cultivate a more equitable society and achieve health for all. In addition to his Medical Degree, Amine is currently completing a specialized Master of Public Health (MPH) in global health.
