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 Imaging the World announced that it is a Grand Challenges Explorations winner, an initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Co-Founders of Imaging the World, Kristen DeStigter, M.D. Vice Chair of Radiology at the University of Vermont/Fletcher Allen Health Care and Associate Professor, Radiology, UVM College of Medicine, and Brian Garra, M.D. Associate Director, Division of Imaging and Applied Mathematics/OSEL, US Food and Drug Administration and Chief of Imaging Systems & Research in Radiology at the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center, will pursue an innovative global health and development research project, titled “Low-Cost Sustainable Solution for Rural Ultrasound .”

Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE) funds scientists and researchers worldwide to explore ideas that can break the mold in how we solve persistent global health and development challenges.  Dr. DeStigter and Dr. Garra’s project is one of over 85 Grand Challenges Explorations Round 6 grants announced today by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“GCE winners are expanding the pipeline of ideas for serious global health and development challenges where creative thinking is most urgently needed.  These grants are meant to spur on new discoveries that could ultimately save millions of lives,” said Chris Wilson, director of Global Health Discovery at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 

To receive funding, Drs. DeStigter and Garra and other Grand Challenges Explorations Round 6 winners demonstrated in a two-page online application a bold idea in one of five critical global heath and development topic areas: polio eradication, HIV, sanitation and family health technologies, and mobile health.  Applications for the current open round, Grand Challenges Explorations Round 7, will be accepted through May 19, 2011.

Dr. DeStigter and Dr. Garra, along with the ITW team, are developing a low-cost scalable solution based in technology, education and community outreach to bring ultrasound diagnoses to pregnant women in areas of high maternal/neonatal mortality. By giving advance warning of critical maternal conditions, this model will improve maternal/fetal morbidity and mortality on a grand scale.

Source: Imaging the World