News and Events

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News & Events

Venture Spotlight: BuriCare Limited

BuriCare Limited has launched their Kangacare baby carriers, designed to address the critical need for newborn care, especially in regions lacking adequate neonatal facilities. With only four Neonatal Intensive Care Units available in their country, Kangaroo Mother Care emerged as a cost-effective solution, promoting vital skin-to-skin contact between mother and newborn to regulate body temperature. These locally knitted carriers are equipped with essential sensors capable of monitoring the baby's temperature, pulse rate, and oxygen saturation. In the event of any abnormalities, an alarm alerts the mother to seek immediate assistance.

Venture Spotlight: A-Lite Vein Locator

The A-Lite Vein Locator is a medical device that facilitates the non-invasive detection of veins under the skin. Using the A-Lite Vein Locator shortens cannulation time by up to 88.5 seconds and lowers the risk of needle-stick injuries and infections. Further, the use of the A-Lite Vein Locator has been shown to decrease medical waste and unnecessary use of clinic resources. 

Venture Spotlight: Vas MedTech

Vas MedTech offers FlexiGyn, a portable, user-guided, and minimally invasive diagnostic camera that can operate in less specialized settings. This innovation is not only cost-effective, but also enhances accessibility. FlexiGyn enables community primary healthcare providers, such as nurses and general practitioners, to perform initial screenings and seamlessly consult with gynecologists for further diagnosis and referrals. FlexiGyn aims to make comprehensive women's health care more accessible and convenient than ever before, thus addressing a global disparity in women's health services. 

Venture Spotlight: HealthEdu Ltd.

HealthEdu aims to confront the pressing need for a unified, easily accessible platform catering to the educational needs of healthcare professionals. HealthEdu creates a supportive community wherein practitioners, health organizations, and academic institutions converge to exchange insights, glean best practices, and collectively elevate standards of care.  

Venture Spotlight: Bare Mind Holdings

Bare Mind Holdings is addressing stigma and associated barriers by providing accessible, culturally relevant and personalized mental health resources. The venture leverages and combines cutting-edge technology and innovative approaches to provide personalized self-development programs tailored to the African context.

Venture Spotlight: ChuChu Softies

ChuChu Softies was created to curb the problem of period poverty by creating eco-friendly and reusable sanitary pads that are affordable and accessible to girls and women.

Venture Spotlight: Rocket Health

Rocket Health provides a digital solution that centralizes different health care solutions into one place. This is done through a 24-hour contact centre that enables patients to consult with doctors remotely, at any time of the day or night, and from anywhere across the country.

Photo of Rhoda Akuol Philip

, MPP, BCom

Regional Lead (Health Entrepreneurship), International Research Officer

Office of the Vice-President International, University of Toronto

Profile

Rhoda Akuol Philip, MPP, BCom

Regional Lead (Health Entrepreneurship), International Research Officer

Office of the Vice-President International

Rhoda Akuol currently serves as a Africa Regional Lead Research Officer, supporting partnership engagement, and research collaboration, as well as monitoring, evaluation, learning and adaptation. She is a central liaison for the Health Entrepreneurship (HENT) Pillar of the Africa Health Collaborative. HENT seeks to co-create and sustain entrepreneurial ecosystems, and launch scalable, impactful, and contextually relevant health start-ups that offer sustainable healthcare solutions. 

Rhoda Akuol has previously held various research, entrepreneurship, and business analyst roles within different work environments and cultures, including at start-up companies, non-profit organizations, and academic departments. She is passionate about community advocacy and sits on various advisory boards, including the Pan-Canadian Voice for Women’s Housing (PCVWH).

Rhoda Akuol received the African Scholars’ Social Innovation Award 2021, and the EYOB G. NAIZGHI Female Refugee Leadership Award 2019.

Email Address
rhoda.philip@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Program
Africa Secretariat
Governance
HENT Pillar Advisory Committee