Teaching Global Health Innovation: An Integrated, Immersive, and Iterative Approach

This paper examines how the Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation & Design (CBID) trains biomedical engineers to address global health challenges. It investigates how CBID’s experiential and partnership-driven model, centered on the Spiral-Iterative Innovation and Design model, supports effective needs identification, innovation, implementation, and sustainable impact in low-resource environments. We analyzed all global health projects conducted by CBID students throughout the program’s history for their outcomes and long-term impact, and conducted an online survey among program alumni recruited via email. The survey consisted of Likert scale and open-ended questions. We analyzed open-ended responses using thematic analysis, and summarized quantitative outcomes using descriptive statistics. Out of the 63 CBID Global Health projects to date, we identified 21 that demonstrated major translational impact and implementation. 117 alumni responded to the survey, reporting firsthand understanding of global health innovation. These outcomes demonstrate the model’s effectiveness in training engineers in global health innovation, and translating student-driven ideas into real-world impact. CBID’s interdisciplinary, immersive, and sustained approach provides a replicable model for integrating global health innovation into biomedical engineering education. Combining foundational instruction with deep field engagement and long-term partnerships, the program enhances students’ ability to identify unmet needs and develop impactful technologies for low-resource settings.