'Saving Lives at Birth' finalists convene at DevelopmentXChange

In a post on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, the foundation's Gary Darmstadt, Wendy Prosser, and Andrew Serazin discuss the finalists of the Saving Lives at Birth initiative, who came together at last week's DevelopmentXChange in Seattle. "This venue brought global health experts and entrepreneurs together to share with each other, to discover what other researchers are experimenting with, to see what for-profit innovations could be applied to public health in low-resource settings," they write, noting that Melinda Gates, co-chair of the foundation, "called for innovations for women, something which has been sorely neglected in public health." They conclude, "We hope that this process has sparked further innovation and creativity around the world, and inspired experts from all fields to share experiences and knowledge. It's that collective energy from a diverse set of experts that will save lives at birth" (7/18).