The new Center for Global Health Engineering at Western New England University formally began operations on April 25. The Center's mission is to lower barriers to healthcare at the frontiers of global health by enabling local healthcare practitioners through access to methods, materials, and technologies.
Established by director Dr. Christian Salmon, associate professor of industrial engineering, and codirector Dr. Michael Rust, associate professor of biomedical engineering, the Center will serve as a nexus through which partnerships are developed, inside and outside of the University, to advance interdisciplinary education and research. Partnerships will also be actively pursued with national and international organizations as a platform for cultivating knowledge and talent, as well as transferring technologies developed specifically for use in low-resourced settings.
Professors Salmon and Rust already have a long list of projects that have worked to develop or redevelop technologies for transfer, including a portable centrifuge for anemia diagnosis, a system for identifying substandard pharmaceuticals, a nerve block training phantom for use with ultrasound systems, and even validating non-lab based methods used for testing cardiovascular fitness in rural villages. Through the Center, they plan to continue these, and other projects, while incorporating students at all levels and disciplines of education from undergraduate through the doctorate programs.
