In this session Dr. Matthew Harris explores the theme of “Decolonizing Healthcare Innovation” by delving into ingenious, low-cost healthcare solutions from the Global South, across various clinical disciplines including plastic surgery, orthopedics, neonatal medicine, and obstetrics. He questions why UK clinicians and health policymakers often overlook such innovations, despite their potential to offer substantial benefits. Harris examines the pervasive view of these regions as mere beneficiaries rather than contributors to global healthcare and discusses strategies to shift this perception. His insights aim to highlight the abundant opportunities for learning and adopting practices that achieve more with less.
Dr Matthew Harris (DPhil MBBS MSc FFPH) is a Clinical Senior Lecturer in Public Health Medicine, Director of Post-graduate Taught Programmes, and Theme Lead for Innovation and Evaluation at the School of Public Health, Imperial College London. He is an Honorary NHS Consultant in Public Health at the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. He has published over 150 articles in peer-reviewed journals on healthcare innovation, health services research, and primary care research. He is also the co-editor of the Oxford Handbook of Healthcare Innovation (due 2024). Formerly a general practitioner in Northeast Brazil, a WHO consultant in Ethiopia, an HIV/AIDS advisor in Mozambique, a US Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow at New York University, and a UK government global health policy advisor. He received an NHS National Clinical Impact Award in 2024 for his work scaling and spreading frugal healthcare innovation.