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WCDS Alumna Develops Life-Saving Health Innovation
Sophia Singer ’22 has designed a life-saving device out of common items that is receiving recognition as a global health innovation.
Singer, a mechanical engineering student at Duke University, teamed up with other college students to design the NeoNest, a low-cost infant warmer for Ugandan ambulances to combat preterm neonatal hypothermia.
The project began when Singer spent eight weeks living and working in Kampala, Uganda. There, she and her team – two students from Duke and two from Makerere University in Uganda – conducted needs assessments at multiple hospitals. They learned that ambulance drivers needed a solution to keep preterm infants at a safe body temperature while transporting them from rural villages to hospitals.
They developed a prototype of the NeoNest in a makerspace inside two shipping containers. The design uses locally sourced materials, including a can and insulation and an electric water mattress that maintains temperature for up to three hours.
Sophia credits her time at Westchester for providing the foundation for her to think creatively and problem-solve in collaboration with a team. She participated in Odyssey of the Mind for 12 years, and her teams advanced all the way to the World Finals multiple times.
“Being involved with Odyssey of the Mind at Westchester taught me the importance of thinking outside the box,” she said. “Only through creative mindset were we able to decide to build our device entirely inside of a ‘Jerry’ can and use other local materials to create something that can have such a large impact.”
The NeoNest has the potential to save countless lives in Uganda, where preterm birth is a significant public health issue. Singer and her team are now working to scale up production and distribute the device to hospitals and clinics across the country.
The project is getting attention for its potential as an innovation for global health. Singer and her team won first place overall and a $5,000 prize in Rice360 Institute’s annual Global Health Technologies Undergraduate Design Competition, which included 24 teams from seven countries.
They also won first place and another $5,000 prize from the Africa Business Concept Challenge, which included 55 teams.
In addition, the project was selected as a global health finalist in the John’s Hopkins Healthcare Design Competition, finishing in the Top 8 out of 120 teams. They also received a $5,000 grant from VentureWell, a Medtech Accelerator, and attended an entrepreneurship workshop, where one of her Ugandan team members had the opportunity to travel to the U.S. for the first time.
