This past May, some of our team members (Emma Arnhols, Lydia Chen, Evelyn Cho, Urvee Deo, Arya Kamat, Kennedy Knopf, Philomena La Fave, Ike Salinsky, Amulya Setlur) had the opportunity to travel to Peru with one of our partners: FNE INTERNATIONAL . There, we had the opportunity to visit local clinics to gain both patient and physician perspectives on our exam table by holding 25 free screenings for community members. We also hosted focus groups with local residents to gain a more diverse cultural perspective and better meet local lifestyle needs. Finally, our team was in contact with local manufacturers to explore in-country manufacturing options as a potential cost-reduction opportunity. A huge thank you to Michael Cipoletti of FNE and the Zaña community for welcoming us with enthusiasm and continued support. We are excited to apply our learnings in the upcoming semester to improve our table and survey redesign!
Project MESA
Medical Equipment Manufacturing
Ann Arbor, Michigan 56 followers
Transforming Women's Health: Safe, Accessible Gynecological Exams, One Table at a Time
About us
Despite being a treatable and preventable disease, cervical cancer continues to claim the lives of hundreds of thousands of women each year. More than 90% of new cases and deaths are concentrated in low- and middle-income nations, according to the World Health Organization. This situation is complicated by the undersupply of proper diagnostic healthcare equipment in many clinics within these regions. Our mission at Project MESA is to increase the availability of cervical cancer screenings in under-resourced communities and countries to improve overall healthcare accessibility. Collaborating with our partner communities and clinics in Peru and Kenya, we are actively engaged in the development and improvement of a portable, durable, safe, and affordable medical table that allows for optimal patient positioning for gynecological examinations.
- Website
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https://www.projectmesa.bme.umich.edu/
External link for Project MESA
- Industry
- Medical Equipment Manufacturing
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Headquarters
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 2010
Locations
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Primary
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104-3452, US
Employees at Project MESA
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Vibhasri Davuluri
Student at the University of Michigan
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Maisha Rahman
Industrial and Operations Engineering Student at University of Michigan
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Laura Wu
Industrial and Operations Engineering & Computer Science @ University of Michigan
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Grace Robertson
Biomedical Engineering Student @ University of Michigan
Updates
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Over this past weekend, some of our members (Amy Li, Ella Bylsma, Kennedy Knopf, Lydia Chen, Emma Arnhols, and Maisha Rahman) had the opportunity to represent Project MESA and showcase our work from this past year! We presented a redesign of our portable, gynecological examination table, emphasizing its cost reduction aspects and the various grants sources we secured for this new iteration's manufacturing. Shoutout to all of the other M-HEAL project teams for their hard work this semester and a big thank you to the M-HEAL executive board for organizing this incredible opportunity!!
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This past weekend, some of our members (Grace Robertson, Asmita Tuladhar, Huiyi Lin, and Arya Kamat) had the opportunity to represent Project MESA and participate in the MSU HEAL Sexual Health Conference! We were able to present our research detailing the impact of our portable, gynecological examination table in Peru and meet with so many students, faculty, and other conference attendees all passionate about advancing sexual health equity outcomes through community engagement and discussion. Thank you to MSU HEAL organizers for this amazing opportunity! https://lnkd.in/eZZV4qSN