KCL - Oxford Symposium on Ethics of innovative technologies for improving health in low-income countries. (360G-Wellcome-204878_Z_16_Z)

Most new technologies to improve health are geared toward the needs and preferences of populations in high-income countries. In response, various efforts over the past decade have sought to take a ‘pro-poor’ approach in global health. This is particularly visible in E-Health and M-Health -- areas of medicine and public health practice aiming to improve health using mobile phones, computers, drones, satellites, big data analysis, and so forth. Such technologies aim to leapfrog infrastructure and resource scarcity and deliver healthcare to the poorest communities within low-income countries. However, there has been little effort to collect and examine the diverse ethical issues arising when deploying such innovative E/M-Health technologies in low-income countries. To begin engendering inter-disciplinary ethical reflection in this area, a one-day symposium will bring together scholars and practitioners in the fields of global health, innovative technologies, and health and development ethics. The specific aims include: a) Using recent cases, collectively identify new kinds of ethical problems arising from the intersection of new technologies and health interventions in resource poor settings. b) Begin developing a research agenda, and future collaborations. c) Engender a network across academic disciplines and institutions that could influence ethical design and deployment of pro-poor health technologies.