Rockefeller Connecting eHealth and A2K Session & Reception

The Rockefeller Foundation has embarked upon a worldwide effort to improve health systems in the Global South.  Electronic information networks hold great promise for improving access to healthcare and health information for the poor and underprivileged and improving the quality, accessibility, and efficiency of systems of healthcare in the Global South.  Electronic health (eHealth) information serves many purposes: helping individuals and communities, especially those with inadequate access to health care, access preventative and diagnostic information; keeping medical practitioners informed about new medical scholarship and treatment advancements; providing low cost educational materials for medical schools; and providing policy makers with the up-to-date information necessary for establishing public policy. 

Unfortunately, many barriers exist to electronic access to health information in the Global South, including lack of open standards for eHealth in the developing world, the proliferation of closed digital eHealth repositories and scholarship, and technical infrastructure barriers to access. 

This conference closing event “Connecting A2K and eHealth” event will present Rockefeller’s eHealth efforts, will discuss opportunities for the A2K movement to help advance sustainable and effective eHealth solutions, and will encourage greater collaborations, networking, and connections between eHealth objectives and the broader Access to Knowledge movement.  The event will feature a presentation by the Rockefeller Foundation’s Managing Director Claudia Juech and a reception to serve as an informal networking event to promote greater community-building, collaboration, and movement connections between eHealth and A2K.