Open Source Mobile Technology Software Reinventing Health Care in Developing Countries

Dr. Joel Selanikio’s innovative technology is not only saving lives, it is changing the face of the public health system around the world. Merging his expertise in the areas of computer science, medicine and public health with his business partner’s background in technology, spurred the development of a sustainable mobile software tool to aid in disease surveillance and the collection of public health data in developing nations. Officially established as an electronic data collection standard by the World Health Organization, Selanikio’s EpiSurveyor is now the most widely adopted open source mobile health software in the world.

The Lemelson-MIT Program today named Dr. Joel Selanikio as the recipient of the 2009 $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability in recognition of his accomplishments in public health and international development. Selanikio, co-founder of DataDyne and assistant professor of pediatrics at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington D.C., will accept the award and present his innovation to the public at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) during the Lemelson-MIT Program’s third-annual EurekaFest, a multi-day celebration of the inventive spirit, on June 24-27.

“Joel’s inventiveness and ability to leverage his unique, multi-discipline background is impressive,” states Theresa Bradley, team leader of the World Bank’s Development Marketplace, whose organization nominated Selanikio for the award. “He is a thought leader in the area of mobile health for developing countries and is dedicated to improving global public health by creating sustainable technologies that are scalable, affordable and practical.”

Improving Methods of Data Collection