Theme: Global Health Security
Palestinian medical worker stands in front of a tent for COVID-19 test at a medical clinic in Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City. (Photo by Ahmed Zakot / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)
Hack for Humanity is an annual humanitarian focused hackathon at Brown University that brings together students to learn about the most pressing needs in the human rights and humanitarian sphere and develop creative ideas for innovative programs or technologies that could help improve the lives of disaster and conflict affected communities around the world. There will be a $3,000 seed grant given to the winning team!
Global health security encompasses the proactive measures taken to prevent, detect, and respond to a broad range of health threats, including infectious disease and other biological hazards. The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in late 2019, exposed significant vulnerabilities and shortcomings in global health systems. The response efforts underscored the importance of global collaboration and transparent communication among nations, as well as the necessity for continuous investment and development in health surveillance, research, and workforce training. Moving forward, strengthening global health security will require a concerted effort to build resilient healthcare systems, foster international partnerships, and prioritize the health needs of vulnerable populations.
Localization and the involvement of civil society are crucial in enhancing global health security, as local organizations and communities are often the first responders to health emergencies. Their efforts in building resilient local health systems and fostering public awareness are invaluable.Strengthening global health security requires a comprehensive approach that prioritizes the health needs of all populations, ensuring a rapid and effective response to any future crises.
This year's hackathon will focus on how to better prepare for and respond to global health threats including pandemics/outbreaks, as well as other global health challenges like chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats and climate change. Students will work together over the course of two days to develop creative ideas for innovative programs, systems, or technologies that fall under the umbrella of global health security.
While your team has the flexibility to address any area that is applicable to the overarching topic of global health security, we have provided a list of potential subtopics that you could draw from to narrow your focus. It will also be important for your team to consider the cross-cutting issues mentioned below as you work towards developing your project pitch.
These listed sub-topics have been provided to help your team get started in identifying a focus area to address. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it gives an indication of the potential topics that fall under Global Health Security. Your team is welcomed to focus your efforts on one of these sub-topics or identify another area altogether that is applicable to the overarching theme.
Topics within this theme could include: global surveillance and early warning systems (data sharing, information networks), vaccination strategies and distribution, public health infrastructure and preparedness, community engagement and risk communication (health literacy, combatting misinformation), post-outbreak recovery and resilience building
Topics within this theme could include: detection and monitoring technologies, CBRN incident response planning, risk assessment and vulnerability analysis, public health preparedness and countermeasures, international cooperation, public communication and education (educating the public about CBRN risks, building public trust and compliance with safety measures).
Topics within this theme could include: AI in disease prediction and diagnosis, big data analytics for public health (leveraging large datasets for studies, data sharing networks), telemedicine and remote health monitoring, ethical considerations and governance in AI used for public health/healthcare emergencies (establishing frameworks for regulating AI in healthcare, addressing biases in AI algorithms).
Topics within this theme could include: zoonotic disease prevention and control (ie. surviellance of livestock and wildlife, reducing human-wildlife conflict and transmission risk), environmental impact on human health (ie. addressing the effects of pollution and climate change on health, strategies for mitigating environmental health risks), sustainable agriculture and food security.
Humanitarian responders need to consistently listen to and advocate for those most negatively impacted by humanitarian crises, including but not limited to racial and ethnic minorities, indigenous communities, elderly, women, children, and marginalized groups. As such, a proper community centered humanitarian design supports and ensures the rights of these groups as well as the adherence to internationally recognized human rights.
We ask that your team take these following issues into consideration as you work on your project pitch to ensure your solutions are inclusive and reach those that are disproportionately affected during a humanitarian emergency.
Please reach out to chrhs@brown.edu with any questions you may have.
Should you have any questions about this hackathon please send a message to chrhs@brown.edu
We have created a useful resource guide on humanitarian innovation to assist your teams through the entire hackathon process - from problem identification to thinking about project implementation. While these provided resource guide will be a good start and foundation to build from, we also encourage your team to conduct your own searches for resources that may be relevant to your specific projects.
Please find the schedule of events here. Hack for Humanity will take place on October 19th and 20th. Please arrive promptly between 8 - 9 am to check in your team.
Megan Rhodes has twenty-five years of public health, international development and humanitarian experience in more than 15 countries. She has worked at USAID for twenty years, including three years at the U.S. Embassy in Kampala, Uganda and many years in Washington, D.C. She has contributed to almost all major U.S. global health initiatives of the last two decades: HIV, malaria, food security, maternal & child health, COVID response, infectious disease outbreaks, and pandemic preparedness. Megan currently serves as a Senior Advisor for Global Health Security as USAID partners with more than 50 countries to prevent, detect, and respond to emerging infectious disease threats, including the deployment of an Outbreak Response Team to rapidly respond to disease outbreaks. Throughout her career, Megan has worked in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders in pursuit of improved health for all: host country officials, the U.S. military, the National Security Council, multilateral institutions, academia, advocacy groups, civil society, and local organizations. She is skilled in working with humanitarian actors and civil-military coordination in response to emergencies, as well as with foreign policy officials on the role health plays in protecting national security. Her public health career began as a member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps serving at the only HIV service organization in the interior of Alaska. Megan received her Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Boston College. She has a Master of Science (ScM) in Health and Social Behavior from the Harvard School of Public Health and a Master of Arts (MA) in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. Megan is an affiliated expert of the Naval War College’s civil-military Humanitarian Response Program.
A key component of this event is mentorship. To help ensure that participating teams are developing relevant, culturally appropriate, and grounded ideas that could be feasibly implemented, we will have a group of experienced mentors present during the event to help guide teams and answer questions. Over the course of the hackathon, your team will have the ability to meet with mentors in order to help gain a better understanding of the core issues associated with your topic. We will be selecting mentors so as to have a wide range of expertise on hand to answer questions, provide in-depth context, and help guide your ideas to “real-world” relevance. We encourage you to make use of this valuable resource!
On the second day of the hackathon, all participating teams will have the opportunity to present their pitches to a panel of judges, who will evaluate each team's pitch on the basis of originality, respect to individuals and communities, context, feasibility, impact, sustainability, and partnerships. Following all presentations, the judges will announce the top teams of the Hackathon, including the team that will have the opportunity to recieve a $3,000 seed grant!
Presentations will be evaluated using this Evaluation Framework
Learn about our previously held Hack for Humanity hackathons by reading our summary reports from past years.