Impact and innovation: 2023 in photos

This year was filled with new beginnings, transformation, and growth at PATH. Since starting my role as Chief Programs & Innovation Officer in March, I have had the privilege of leading a team of global experts across 70-plus countries and working closely with our extensive network of partners.

It has been incredible to see such dedication and commitment to addressing global health challenges through novel inventions and research, multisectoral collaboration, and advocacy, all aimed at continuing the advancement of health equity and universal health coverage (UHC). This year has truly been one of innovation and impact. Please join me in celebrating some of the many milestones and achievements across PATH in 2023.

Earlier this year, PATH supported efforts to elevate oxygen on the global agenda and expand coordination beyond the COVID-19 pandemic response. This culminated in a World Health Assembly (WHA) high-level side event, organized with the support of Unitaid, the World Health Organization (WHO), and PATH, marking the adoption of a WHO resolution to increase access to medical oxygen and the introduction of the Global Oxygen Alliance (GO2AL).

Both the passing of the resolution and the launch of GO2AL signify a major milestone to sustain gains and drive progress toward equitable oxygen access across all populations, communities, and countries. The resolution urges countries to undertake 20 high-impact actions to ensure universal oxygen access, including the development of costed national plans and regulations; investment in qualified staffing, maintenance, and monitoring systems; and increased domestic financing and advocacy.

Community health workers (CHWs) play a vital role in delivering essential health services. To enhance their work, it is crucial to provide proper salaries that are not dependent on external funding, clarify their roles, and equip them with digital tools to enable formal training, supportive supervision, organized task management, data reporting, quality monitoring, telehealth, contact tracing, and mobile payments for their time and services.

This year, at the first-ever International Conference on Primary Health Care, PATH hosted a session exploring how national health systems can best support CHWs by sharing learnings and exemplars -- including Tanzania’s Unified Community Health System that brings together community- and facility-based providers to exchange health information using digital health tools. There is no health equity without CHWs and PATH is committed to working with partners worldwide to ensure they get the support they need to keep communities healthy.

Most maternal, newborn, and child deaths and morbidities are preventable, but progress in improving maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition (MNCHN) outcomes globally has been slow and uneven. To bridge existing gaps in coverage of evidence-based MNCHN interventions, PATH’s Primary Health Care program designed an asset tracker data visualization tool that aggregates diverse data sources to analyze progress towards scale-up of 22 priority interventions or "assets," encompassing life-saving commodities, tools, and approaches.

In August, PATH conducted human-centered design workshops in Kenya and Ethiopia, engaging decision makers, implementers, and advocates, to enhance functionality, ease of use, and the information utility of the asset tracker dashboards. It is exciting to see how PATH teams incorporate the voices of local stakeholders and ensure equitable access to information that can positively impact health outcomes globally.

This year, through the USAID President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) Program for the Advancement of Malaria Outcomes (PAMO) Plus project, PATH has been supporting the deployment of malaria case investigation (MCI) in Sinda, a low-malaria-burden district in Eastern Province in Zambia – applying best practices and lessons learned in the Southern Province. MCI exemplifies the power of coordinated, data-driven action to stay ahead of disease outbreaks. It employs a 1-3-7 approach to support prompt malaria community case management and response in areas with low malaria transmission. Leveraging the nationwide malaria CHW network, now more than 23,000 strong, deployment of MCI prevents local clusters of malaria cases from erupting into widespread transmission by enabling a prompt, focused, and appropriate response to individual malaria cases.

Beginning in 2024, PATH will expand its support for malaria case management across Africa, Asia and Latin America through the PMI REACH Malaria Project to further increase access to prompt malaria prevention, detection, and treatment.

Microarray patches (MAPs) are microscopic projections, applied like small stickers, that penetrate the skin and deliver doses of a drug or vaccine. This groundbreaking innovation enables easier transportation, storage, and administration of vaccines and medicines in hard-to-reach communities.

PATH hosted the largest global international microneedle conference in Seattle this May. Researchers presented breakthrough results from the first MAP vaccine clinical trial in children, demonstrating that MAPs can safely and effectively deliver the measles-rubella vaccine. By advancing this transformative technology, PATH aims to improve access to lifesaving vaccines and medicines globally. MAPs exemplify the power of innovation to profoundly improve health care access and equity worldwide when a promising concept becomes a practical reality that saves lives.

In June, Brazil took a major step forward in malaria control by integrating single-dose tafenoquine and the SD Biosensor STANDARD™ G6PD test, a novel rapid test developed by PATH in collaboration with SD Biosensor, into its public health system. This precedent addresses a major gap in treating Plasmodium vivax malaria, which impacts millions globally each year. Tafenoquine and other key malaria drugs can cause severe adverse effects in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. However, diagnosis of G6PD status has been a major hurdle, with testing previously unavailable in many endemic regions.

The integration of rapid G6PD testing and tafenoquine treatment in Brazil demonstrates the immense potential of strategic partnerships between the public and private sectors in solving pressing global health challenges.

PATH’s Center of Digital and Data Excellence (CoDE) has been developing an enterprise architecture (EA) approach to support the advancement of national digital health systems. Just as an architectural blueprint guide is used to build a house, an EA provides a “floor plan” for countries’ health sectors, mapping information systems, interfaces, and gaps. In July, PATH’s Digital Square team convened stakeholders for the official launch of Senegal’s EA for the Digital Transformation workshop, bringing together key players to outline the roadmap.

CoDE also supported Tanzania and Zanzibar in developing their national health EAs, and is now working with stakeholders in Senegal, Burkina Faso, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to do the same. Through these pioneering partnerships, PATH is hoping to support governments in developing more connected digital health ecosystems that pave the way for transformative change and increased health impact.

A perennial malaria chemoprevention (PMC) pilot launched with support from PATH’s Malaria and Neglected Tropical Disease program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a significant step toward the goal of nationwide reduction of malaria burden. PMC introduces a continuous, targeted, and cost-effective preventive approach, ensuring year-round protection in high-risk populations and contributing to a comprehensive strategy against malaria. With funding from GiveWell and in partnership with the DRC Ministry of Health, the pilot program will generate essential evidence that can bolster and potentially expedite the nationwide implementation of PMC in the DRC, extending this lifesaving intervention to hundreds of thousands of at-risk children.

It is incredible to see the dedication of ministries of health, and our partners to committing to reduce the burden of malaria and other diseases in affected communities.

Ministers, early childhood development (ECD) actors, and nongovernmental groups gathered to discuss how to measure national-level ECD outcomes for Eastern and Southern Africa countries at an event co-hosted by the Early Childhood Development Action Network.

Strengthening ECD requires aligning many moving parts and perspectives—from policymakers to CHWs and families. By bringing diverse voices to the table, we gain a more holistic view of gaps and opportunities in ECD programs, tools, and data systems. Most critically, we center the needs and well-being of children themselves.

A highlight of the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) was unveiling a new partnership agreement between PATH and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), solidifying our commitment to work together to advance health equity in the Americas. This partnership solidifies our shared commitment to building strong health systems, increasing access to essential medicines, and leveraging digital health technologies to improve health outcomes.

Formalizing this agreement with PAHO was a proud moment that embodies PATH’s collaborative spirit. By joining forces with partners who share our values and strengths, we can achieve so much more. PAHO’s deep regional knowledge and relationships, combined with PATH’s technical expertise in primary health care, digital tools, and market-based solutions, create a powerful partnership.

Approximately 75 percent of emerging or reemerging infectious diseases in humans—ranging from rabies to Ebola—come from animals. PATH’s Epidemic Preparedness and Response team is advancing Uganda’s National One Health platform, which focuses on integrating and unifying animal, environmental, and human health interventions through the USAID-funded Infectious Disease Detection and Surveillance project. This work was recently featured in a BBC StoryWorks docuseries focused on the intersection of climate and health.

In the video, which can be viewed above or here, the team highlights the challenges posed to livestock and humans via anthrax spores released by climate-driven flooding, and how members of Uganda’s veterinary and human health systems have intervened to protect lives and stop the spread of zoonotic diseases. I’m proud of our teams and partners working creatively across sectors to safeguard communities from intersecting health risks triggered by climate change.

At the heart of PATH's mission lies the belief that sustainably financed, integrated, and people-centered primary health care is key to realizing universal health coverage. At the 76th World Health Assembly, PATH hosted a number of events and participated in many conversations, exploring how sustainable financing, digital health systems, strong markets and regulatory systems, and primary health care are critical for achieving universal health coverage.

Coming together with so many brilliant, passionate changemakers filled me with hope and energy. The breadth of health challenges facing our global community can seem daunting, but gatherings like this reinforce that progress is possible when we come together across sectors to learn, advocate, and act.

As we reflect on the transformative year that was 2023, PATH’s journey has been marked by a series of remarkable milestones and achievements in the pursuit of better health for all. Together with our partners and communities around the world, we embark on the next chapter of our journey, driven by the shared vision of a healthier, more equitable world. The year ahead holds the promise of new opportunities, breakthroughs, and transformative impact, and we look forward to facing these challenges with dedication and enthusiasm as we work toward advancing health equity for all.