SHI Venture Development Program

In partnership with the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale (CITY), the SHI Venture Development Program (VDP) helps Yale student and trainee entrepreneurs develop global health innovations for low- and middle-income countries and under resourced areas in the United States. SHI provides a community of practice where student innovators working in global health at all stages can learn, connect, and grow.

Through Tsai CITY’s Accelerator and Launch Pad programs, which operate each fall and spring semester, students, trainees, and teams with innovative ideas receive guidance in building effective organizations, projects, and ventures. These sector agnostic programs offer workshops, mentorship, and funding, making them an excellent choice for student teams embarking on their journey in the innovation space.

The SHI VDP complements Tsai CITY's innovation programming by focusing specifically on global health innovation. SHI organizes monthly community gatherings featuring global health experts, skill sessions, and venture feedback opportunities for teams to earn, build skills, and develop their ventures. SHI Fellows provide weekly peer mentoring and teams have monthly coaching calls with the SHI managing director as well as access to SHI Mentors-in-Residence.

Additionally, teams in the program have an opportunity to apply for a Kalyanpur-Maheshwari Grant for Global Health Innovation to support their work. Each grant is for up to $5,000. To be eligible, teams must actively engage in SHI programming and meet specific milestones, including pitching their venture and demonstrating progress towards their goal. One grant will be awarded in the fall and spring semesters.

Astraea Global Health

Founded by Aleksandra Thurman (MSN ’27)

Astraea Global Health is a medical delivery solution that addresses local infrastructure and training needs. By leveraging drone technology, Astraea focuses on developing training programs for community healthcare workers and local populations, addressing the challenges of targeted healthcare provision in resource-scarce regions. The organization is committed to creating sustainable healthcare systems by reintegrating local training and infrastructure into drone-based medical care, ensuring efficient and impactful service delivery.

De-Stress

Founded by Arinze Agu (MPH ’25)

De-Stress is an AI tool for goal-driven individuals to enjoy a thriving career without sacrificing their mental well-being. It leverages AI for personalized stress management and productivity enhancement, targeting students and professionals seeking a balanced life. It offers features including My Self-Care Kit, which provides non-generic mindfulness exercises and meditation guides specific to users' needs, and My Goals, enabling users to set and track SMART goals assisted by AI. The app synchronizes tasks across platforms and prioritizes them using AI algorithms.

Longinus

Founded by Sebastian A. Salazar (MPH ’25)

Longinus leverages cutting-edge AI and comprehensive data surveillance to address critical gaps in tracking and managing infectious diseases, enhancing both preparedness and response capabilities. The solution involves a four-step process designed to significantly improve disease monitoring and response, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and under-resourced areas in the United States.

NurseBrain

Founded by Samu Mhlambi (DNP ’27)

NurseBrain is an AI powered platform that standardizes nursing communication and workflows through mobile, portable technology that can function offline. This innovative solution directly addresses the critical issue of communication-based medical errors, with a particular focus on benefiting low and middle-income countries and under-resourced areas in the United States.

Pyari

Founded by Nikita Paudel (BA '25) and Priyanshu Pokhrel (Wesleyan University)

Pyari revolutionizes menstrual health management through four key areas: education, products, infrastructure, and advocacy. The venture runs arts-based workshops and awareness sessions to build empathy and open conversations around menstruation and provides educator training modules, menstrual health kits for children, and a menstrual tracking bracelet, with reusable products in development. They also perform menstrual health audits to assess and enhance facilities in schools, offices, and other spaces.

Respond Crisis Translation

Founded by Meg Sears and Ariel Koren, Academic Partnerships and Global Health Development led by Jack Carew (PhD '27)

Respond Crisis Translation is a collective of translators and language activists providing trauma-informed language access support in 180+ languages to migrants, refugees, and all for whom language is a barrier to accessing safety and dignity. Respond facilitates the work of more than 600 partner nonprofits working on the frontlines of the refugee and resettlement crisis, in addition to directly serving individual asylum seekers and refugees who reach out for language support. Respond’s work has created 600 jobs for linguists who are themselves refugees, asylees, deportees and speakers of marginalized and Indigenous languages.

Rhythmix XR

Founded by Ryan Bose-Roy (BS, BA '24) and Lana Zheng (BS ’25)

Rhythmix leverages virtual reality (VR) and immersive technology to provide accessible, engaging, and effective physical therapy solutions, particularly for post-operative rehabilitation like total knee replacement. The innovation lies in creating an immersive and interactive platform where patients can engage in therapy exercises through VR while playing music—transforming their rehabilitation experience into something enjoyable and personalized. By offering a cost-effective, mobile-friendly solution, Rhythmix can help bridge the gap in healthcare services, empowering patients to access effective rehabilitation tools from the comfort of their homes.

SBT Flow Systems

Founded by Oghenetefike Okotete (MPH '26), Samuele Petruccelli (MPH ‘26), and Bernard Frempong (MPH '26)

The SBT-Flow Systems is a venture that develops small-scale, cost-effective irrigation systems that leverage groundwater for agriculture, a largely untapped resource in West Africa. This innovative solution involves the design and implementation of a low-pressure micro-irrigation (drip) system that delivers water directly to crops with minimal waste. Its aim is to tackle food insecurity and agricultural challenges affecting low- and middle-income countries. The approach requires minimal lifestyle changes while educating the local population, focusing instead on improving critical areas, particularly irrigation.

whyMED

Founded by Dheeman Klair (BS ’26)

whyMED is an AI educational tool designed to answer patient questions about prescription medications. It provides explanations such as the rationale behind prescriptions, the mechanism of action, and drug interactions. Patients can initially complete a quick diagnostic test, and our unique algorithm uses the results to determine their health literacy level. Using this data, the AI personalizes its responses with appropriate vocabulary and added explanations to ensure that information is accessible and easy to understand. It also anticipates common follow-up questions the user may have, to encourage further medical education.

7^th Sense Foundation

Founded by Alexandr Kulichkov (EMPH ‘26)

7^th Sense Foundation is a comprehensive, multi-dimensional program that aims to create a impact by addressing the root causes of poor health outcomes including lack of education, food insecurity, and unstable housing. This venture focuses on nurturing a child's full potential by developing critical life skills, including emotional intelligence, personal well-being, and community engagement. This holistic approach empowers children to become agents of change within their own communities, fostering sustainable development practices that directly impact public health.