Success with global health initiatives often depends on bringing together individuals with different perspectives to deeply understand and effectively address a challenge. That’s the approach a group of faculty from Duke University, Duke Kunshan University and Duke-NUS Medical School took when they organized a conference focused on partnerships for digital health technology innovation at Duke Kunshan University in Kunshan, China, on October 14.

With funds from the Duke Office of the Provost and Bass Connections, five faculty members from different disciplines across the three universities planned the conference and other related activities, including a research roundtable on October 13 on designing, evaluating and scaling up community-based cardio-metabolic prevention interventions. Access Health International and the City of Kunshan also provided funding for the events.

It was truly remarkable how, in just six months, we could engage faculty, students at all levels and external partners from six countries to plan and implement these events—plus build the foundation for continued collaboration.

The goal for the weekend of events was to integrate perspectives from academia, industry and government on the promise of digital health technology and to stimulate new research partnerships, community engagement and student involvement.

“Both of these aims were met with overwhelming success,” said Janet Prvu Bettger, associate professor of orthopaedic surgery, Duke Global Health Institute affiliate and conference co-chair (with Lijing Yan, associate research professor of global health at DGHI and DKU). “It was truly remarkable how, in just six months, we could engage faculty, students at all levels and external partners from six countries to plan and implement these events—plus build the foundation for continued collaboration.”

More than 250 participants—including Kunshan Deputy Mayor Jin and Duke Kunshan University Vice Chancellor Gao—attended the conference. A number of Duke University and Duke Kunshan students from a range of academic disciplines also participated. 

This was the first digital health conference on the Duke Kunshan campus, and we showcased the research projects in this field from three Duke campuses.

Seven members of the Bass Connections Global Alliance on Disability and Health Innovation (GANDHI) team attended. Undergraduates Lillian Blanchard, Chunxi “Tracey” Ding, Alexandria Hurley, Chelsea Liu, Sahil Sandhu, Natalie Yu Chin Wen and Jackie Xu conducted key informant interviews and are collaborating on the report from the event. The GANDHI team’s work focuses on examining disability from multiple perspectives and cultures.

“This was the first digital health conference on the Duke Kunshan campus, and we showcased the research projects in this field from three Duke campuses,” said conference co-chair Yan. “Our academia/industry partnership theme was well received.”

Excerpted from the Duke Global Health Institute website

Learn More

• Read about the conference and this Bass Connections project team.
• Explore Bass Connections in Global Health.
• Browse stories from students on their Bass Connections experience.

Photos: Eight Duke students representing public policy, psychology, neuroscience, biology, engineering, computer science and nursing attended the conference; conference organizers and presenters