Additional Information

Personal Definition of Sustainability
My personal definition looks at applying sustainability to the health sector globally. I look at sustainability as more than producing products without taking away resources for the future. I believe it entails creating a business with a social mission that is self sustaining through a unique value proposition and model. By becoming sustainable, a company can deliver a bottom line profit that drives their social mission. This principle can be found in companies like Aurolab and Aravind. These companies are able to generate revenue that allows them to use that money to drive their social mission.

Sustainability-in-Action
Many of the sustainability projects I have been involved with are through the Ivey International Centre for Health Innovation. One of the initiatives I took part in this past summer included working on case writing with established and new venture health sector companies that have successfully developed sustainable health ventures geared at social issues. In addition, I worked on selecting healthcare development projects that were selected based on their potential impact on global healthcare. This process included analyzing the proposals through metrics developed by our advisory council and ensuring the resources would be present. Much of my work over the summer included developing the infrastructure necessary for the Centre to take on global health development projects once they have complete successful health projects in Canada.

I hope to work on some exciting things in the summer of 2011. I am planning to work on some of the global health demonstration projects that are geared on the feasibility of the new health ventures in developing countries. Also, I am finalizing my application to get an internship at the Grameen back in microfinance. This would be an exciting opportunity to potentially apply such financing principles to the health sector.