USM professor of computer science Bruce MacLeod and graduate students Brent Atkinson and Matt Blanchette are part of a team developing ways of using cell phones to improve access to health care for pregnant women and newborns in Ghana.
Mobile Technology for Community Health is an international partnership between involving faculty from Columbia University, the Ghana Health Service, and others. the program was founded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
According to a USM press release, MacLeod has an international reputation for work design and development of software for health research in developing countries. The press release said he was recruited by Columbia professor James Phillips, and expert on health care systems in Africa and Asia.
MacLeod said in the press release he knew Atkinson and Blanchette as undergraduates and he knew they were capable of working on the project. “Brent and Matt are top-notch students,” he said.
The project uses basic cell phones to relay messages to pregnant women in rural areas, encouraging neonatal care from clinics or hospitals nearby. According to the press release, the system is currently running in two districts in northern Ghana, giving users tips on preventive care.
According to the press release, MacLeod is also currently working on software for a health research center in Nigeria. The software is designed to research the burden of disease on rural communities and identify obstacles to the delivery of health care.
The members of the project from USM are part of the university’s Information and Innovation Center, which specializes in research in information technology.