Nexleaf Analytics receives McGovern Foundation grant to accelerate potential of digital health

The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation has awarded more than $5.8 million in new grants for innovative data- and AI-driven approaches that support digital transformation of health systems and healthcare across the globe, including an award to Switzer Fellow Nithya Ramanathan's organization Nexleaf Analytics.

Digital technologies – from remote sensors and digital medical records to virtual care and data-based treatment decisions – are transforming the ways people access and utilize health services. Digital solutions created to expand coverage of services, support frontline practitioners, and empower individuals to have more agency in their health journeys are fundamental to achieving ambitious targets to ensure billions more are protected from health emergencies and enjoy better health and well-being. 

However, the uptake of digital health solutions has been uneven in practice and historically underfunded, with many countries directing only 0-1% of public health budgets toward digital health. Across all geographies, fragmented approaches to data governance and system design risk contributing to existing inequities in healthcare. 

"While the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital technologies in the delivery of healthcare, there is critical work ahead to ensure those innovations help improve, not undermine, health equity," said Vilas Dhar, President of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. "With these grants, we are focused on building essential capacity to use data, digital tools, and artificial intelligence to design people-centered, accessible models of care." 

"We're thrilled to partner with the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, which shares our commitment to advancing health equity through data-driven and country-led solutions," Nithya Ramanathan, CEO & Co-Founder of Nexleaf Analytics said. "Our organizations believe that by supporting practitioners and investing in local leadership, countries can be equipped to drive their own decisions and build lasting, scalable digital solutions."

Nexleaf Analytics was awarded $580,000 to support country-led, data-driven decision-making on vaccine cold chain management through partnerships with the Government of Malawi and the East African Community Regional Centre of Excellence (RCE) for Vaccines, Immunization, and Health Supply Chain Management.

Read the original press release for more information and a full list of grants.