Speaker Details

Prof Peter Singer

Biography

Professor Singer is the Interim Director of McLaughlin-Rotman Centre at University Health Network. Professor Singer's research is at the nexus of life sciences, entrepreneurship, and the developing world. His earlier contributions have included improvements in quality end-of-life care, fair priority setting in healthcare organizations, pandemic influenza planning and teaching bioethics. Singer has received the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Distinguished Investigator Award and Michael Smith Award. Some of his key honours include Nellie Westerman Prize in Ethics, Young Educator Award of the Association of Canadian Medical Colleges and Award for Excellence from Yale University School of Public Health, University of Toronto Dales Award, and Department of Medicine Research Award. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and the Royal Society of Canada and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges for Global Health Initiative. He has published over 240 research articles, received over $50 million in research grants, trained over 70 graduate students and fellows, and written more than 30 op-eds in national newspapers. Singer studied internal medicine at the University of Toronto, medical ethics at the University of Chicago, public health at Yale University, and management at Harvard Business School. For full Curriculum Vitae and biography for Professor Singer, please click on www.mrcglobal.org.

Abstract

Accelerating Health Innovation in Africa

In Africa, there is more life sciences research than commercialization. How can countries in sub-Saharan Africa tackle their own health problems, develop products and services, and capture the economic value of their own domestic research? Based on background research and preliminary analysis of over one hundred in-depth interviews conducted by our team in Ghana, Tanzania, and Rwanda, this presentation lays out an ambitious yet achievable plan for a network of "convergence centers" - facilities which will bring together local scientists, entrepreneurs, business people, and investors to develop affordable health products and services focused on local health needs. In combination with an associated venture fund, as recently proposed by IFC, these centers can tackle the gap in moving ideas from lab to marketplace, and build on growing economic strengths in several African nations. By linking with each other and with similar networks worldwide, a relatively modest investment into creating this critical infrastructure will help translate indigenous talent, capital, and know-how into positive health and economic impacts in a sustainable way.