Grand Challenges Canada has announced that UBC Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering Postdoctoral Fellow Walter Karlen is a Rising Star in Global Health, an innovator dedicated to improving health in the developing world. As a Rising Star, Karlen will be awarded a $100,000 grant to further develop his innovation, the Camera Oximeter. The Camera Oximeter is a novel, ultra-low cost device that uses the built-in camera of a smart phone to measure oxygen saturation, heart rate and respiratory rate. Software will include an advisory system for the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases (pneumonia) in remote areas and in community hospitals of low income countries.
Karlen is currently in South Africa with the Camera Oximeter working with local partners to demonstrate how innovative and affordable technology can help bridge the healthcare gap between Canada and low- income countries. He works at UBC under the supervision of Guy Dumont of the Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering and with Mark Ansermino of the Dept. of Anesthesiology.
Canadian Rising Stars in Global Health is a program designed to encourage emerging Canadian innovators to use their energy and creativity to find solutions to pressing global health challenges.
To view a short video of Karlen and the Camera Oximeter, visit: www.grandchallenges.ca/grand-challenges/gc1-stars/canadasrisingstars/round2grantees/
