Melissa Ho

Asynchronous remote medical consultation for Ghana

Computer-mediated communication systems can be used to bridge the gap between doctors in underserved regions with local shortages of medical expertise and medical specialists worldwide. To this end, we describe the design of a prototype remote consultation system intended to provide the social, institutional and infrastructural context for sustained, self-organizing growth of a globally-distributed Ghanaian medical community. The design is grounded in an iterative design process that included two rounds of extended design fieldwork throughout Ghana and draws on three key design principles (social networks as a framework on which to build incentives within a self-organizing network; optional and incremental integration with existing referral mechanisms; and a weakly-connected, distributed architecture that allows for a highly interactive, responsive system despite failures in connectivity). We discuss initial experiences from an ongoing trial deployment in southern Ghana.

ICTD for healthcare in Ghana: Two parallel case studies

This paper examines two parallel case studies to promote remote medical consultation in Ghana. These projects, initiated independently by different researchers in different organizations, both deployed ICT solutions in the same medical community in the same year. The Ghana Consultation Network currently has over 125 users running a Web-based application over a delay-tolerant network of servers. OneTouch MedicareLine is currently providing 1700 doctors in Ghana with free mobile phone calls and text messages to other members of the medical community. We present the consequences of (1) the institutional context and identity of the investigators, as well as specific decisions made with respect to (2) partnerships formed, (3) perceptions of technological infrastructure, and (4) high-level design decisions. In concluding, we discuss lessons learned and high-level implications for future ICTD research agendas.

Longitudinal analysis of sarcoidosis blood transcriptomic signatures and disease outcomes

Previously, we demonstrated concordance in differentially expressed genes in sarcoidosis blood and lung, implicating shared dysfunction of specific immune pathways. In the present study, we hypothesised that expression levels of candidate genes in sarcoidosis blood could predict and track with disease outcomes longitudinally. We applied Ingenuity Pathway Analysis to a cross-sectional derivation microarray dataset (n=38) to identify canonical pathways and candidate genes associated with sarcoidosis. In a separate longitudinal sarcoidosis cohort (n=103), we serially measured 48 candidate gene transcripts, and assessed their relation to disease chronicity and severity. In the cross-sectional derivation study, pathway analysis showed upregulation of genes related to interferon signalling and the role of pattern recognition receptors, and downregulation of T-cell receptor (TCR) signalling pathways in sarcoidosis. In the longitudinal cohort, factor analysis confirmed coregulation of genes marking these pathways and identified CXCL9 as an additional candidate pathway. CXCL9 and TCR factors discriminated between chronic versus nonprogressive disease, and CXCL9 predicted disease outcomes longitudinally. Interferon factor was similarly increased in both disease phenotypes. Factors associated with lung function decline included decreased TCR factor and increased CXCL9. These findings demonstrate blood transcriptomic signatures reflecting TCR signalling and CXCL9 predict sarcoidosis chronicity and correlate with disease severity longitudinally. Blood gene transcript measurements predict sarcoidosis chronicity and severity longitudinally http://ow.ly/zFGnP

Human-centered computing in international development

This workshop continues the dialog on exploring the challenges in applying, extending, and inventing appropriate methods and contributions of Humancentered Computing (HCC) to International economic and community development, borne out of tremendously successful HCI4D workshops at CHI 2007 and 2008. The workshop aims at 1) providing a platform to discuss interaction design practices that allow for meaningful embedding of interactive systems in the cultural, infrastructural, and political settings where they will be used 2) addressing interaction design issues in developing regions, as well as areas in the developed world marginalized by poverty or other barriers. We hope to continue to extend the boundaries of the field of Humancentered Computing (HCC) by spurring on more discussion on how existing methods and practices can be adapted/ modified, and how new practices be developed, to combat

Communication and computing in health facilities of southwest Uganda

Mobile phones are often pitched as the solution for Africas development. This study examines the social changes entailed by the introduction of new technologies into a health subsidy program, and compares mobile phones and netbooks side by side in Southwest Uganda as potential health information management devices for private health facilities.