Letter from the Director of the Global Health Innovation Laboratory

I am proud to lead the Massachusetts General Hospital Global Health Innovation Laboratory, housed in the Department of Emergency Medicine. The Global Health Innovation Laboratory was formed in order to respond to the incredible need, as well as interest, in global health. It offers a rich platform for health care delivery, research, education and training initiatives. Thematically, our work focuses on alleviating suffering of vulnerable populations—specifically women and children in underserved communities of the world. Our programs are designed with impact in mind—whether by increasing the availability of quality health care for mothers and babies in Africa; training cohorts of global health fellows who will provide leadership to the field in future generations; or undertaking action research to understand how the health sector can address the tragedy of sex trafficking in Asia and South America. We work closely with local actors to ensure that our efforts are appropriate and sustainable in each area in which we work.

Since we began in 2006, our work has taken us to over 20 countries. Our efforts have uniformly arisen in response to requests from heads of state, ministries of health, and leading in-country health organizations. Our unifying theme has remained consistent: to discover, innovate, and implement sustainable solutions, focused on intractable challenges in the domains of women and children's health and human rights.

We hope to make an appreciable difference in the lives of the underserved through our programs, and to raise awareness about the pressing health needs of the world's most vulnerable populations.

Sincerely, 
Thomas F. Burke, MD, FACEP, FRSM
Director, Global Health Innovation Laboratory