Johns Hopkins Launches Global Student Design Program to Address Issues of Emerging Infections, from COVID-19 to Antimicrobial Resistance

In our era of globalization, outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases are expected to become more common, but the COVID-19 pandemic is proving to be a transformative time for emerging infectious diseases, global health, sustainable development, and health equity. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, ReAct—Action on Antibiotic Resistance, through its Strategic Policy Program, and the International Federation of Medical Students (IFMSA) are calling on students to take up the challenge and become the future innovators to address health inequities that are exacerbated by emerging infectious diseases, like drug-resistant infections and COVID-19. This year select participants will collaborate in a global design sprint, Innovate4Health, which builds on ReAct’s student competition series, Innovate4AMR, which was recognized by the UN Innovation Network in 2019.

To encourage innovative design and systems thinking, participants will be trained through a special, non-credit course designed by the IDEA (Innovation+Design Enabling Access) Initiative at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. To refine their projects, students will be given opportunities for international collaboration with student teams through a collaboration platform designed for visual thinking. Experts in infectious disease policy and advocacy will contribute to the curriculum through live sessions for feedback and discussions on designing transformative innovations for an equitable and healthier approach to these challenges. Student teams are encouraged to register their team and apply by Sunday, October 18, 2020 at innovate4health.org.