Recent advances in health technologies - incorporating innovations like robotics, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and smart sensors - have raised expectations of a dramatic impact on health outcomes across the world. However, bringing innovative technologies to populations who have been traditionally underserved has proven challenging, limiting their impact and in many cases exacerbating inequities. This course explores critical questions regarding the implementation and impact of technological innovations to improve health outcomes and achieve greater health equity both domestically and globally. Through a combination of lectures, discussions, and guest lectures from thought leaders, this course considers examples of technologies that have been 'successful', as well as those that have 'failed'. The course also explores the disproportionately negative impact of climate change on lower income populations, and the potential role of technology in addressing that. MED 232 students will think critically to consider conditions under which technologies reach scale and have a positive impact on global health outcomes. Students will also have an opportunity to work on real-world projects with domestic and international organizations, each of which will focus on the potential opportunity for health technology and consider approaches to ensure its social impact at scale. This course is taught by Dr. Anurag Mairal, Adjunct Professor of Medicine and the Director of Global Outreach Programs at Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign, Dr. Krista Donaldson, Director of Innovation to Impact at Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign, and Dr. Michele Barry, Director of the Center for Innovation in Global Health. This course is open to all students, but graduate students, medical students, and undergraduate students who are in their third or fourth year are preferred. Students should have some experience in global health, health equity, technology innovation, or health technology implementation. This course is available for two or three units. Students enrolling in the course for a third unit will work on the group project described above, and have additional assignments, including an outline, presentation, and paper related to the group project. This is a Cardinal Course certified by the Haas Center. Questions can be directed to Course Manager, Antje Kirschner, akirsch@stanford.edu. To register, students must submit a short class application and be selected to receive an enrollment code. Application: https://forms.gle/DXZqT1CkUZhmzN5Z6
2-3 units · Medical Option (Med-Ltr-CR/NC)
Recent advances in health technologies - incorporating innovations like robotics, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and smart sensors - have raised expectations of a dramatic impact on health outcomes across the world. However, bringing innovative technologies to populations who have been traditionally underserved has proven challenging, limiting their impact and in many cases exacerbating inequities. This course explores critical questions regarding the implementation and impact of technological innovations to improve health outcomes and achieve greater health equity both domestically and globally. Through a combination of lectures, discussions, and guest lectures from thought leaders, this course considers examples of technologies that have been 'successful', as well as those that have 'failed'. The course also explores the disproportionately negative impact of climate change on lower income populations, and the potential role of technology in addressing that. MED 232 students will think critically to consider conditions under which technologies reach scale and have a positive impact on global health outcomes. Students will also have an opportunity to work on real-world projects with domestic and international organizations, each of which will focus on the potential opportunity for health technology and consider approaches to ensure its social impact at scale. This course is taught by Dr. Anurag Mairal, Adjunct Professor of Medicine and the Director of Global Outreach Programs at Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign, Dr. Krista Donaldson, Director of Innovation to Impact at Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign, and Dr. Michele Barry, Director of the Center for Innovation in Global Health. This course is open to all students, but graduate students, medical students, and undergraduate students who are in their third or fourth year are preferred. Students should have some experience in global health, health equity, technology innovation, or health technology implementation. This course is available for two or three units. Students enrolling in the course for a third unit will work on the group project described above, and have additional assignments, including an outline, presentation, and paper related to the group project. This is a Cardinal Course certified by the Haas Center. Questions can be directed to Course Manager, Antje Kirschner, akirsch@stanford.edu. To register, students must submit a short class application and be selected to receive an enrollment code. Application: https://forms.gle/DXZqT1CkUZhmzN5Z6
Offered in Winter 2026 at Stanford University.