How becoming a father changed how I think about some of the world’s biggest healthcare challenges

By Dr. Shantanu Nundy, Director of the Human Diagnosis Project Nonprofit

Editor’s note: With over 3.5 billion people around the globe lacking access to essential health services and over 100 million people pushed into poverty each year because of their medical costs, the Human Diagnosis Project (Human Dx) is using machine learning and collective intelligence to expand access to care for millions around the world. Right now, thousands of doctors are collaborating on Human Dx to improve each other’s medical knowledge and share insights on patient cases. Read the stories of those involved in the Project, and hear the stories of the patients they’re serving.

When I was in college, I traveled to India to teach English, ready to hit the ground running with my young students. But I quickly realized how difficult it was for them to learn, not because they had minimal motivation or insufficient school supplies, but because they lacked much-needed medical attention. The majority of my students would arrive eager to practice a new language, yet unable to focus due to illness or pain. I kept returning to this community over the next several years, only instead of teaching English, all my efforts were directed towards building a clinic.

While proud of the clinic, I ultimately realized that I wouldn’t scratch the surface of eliminating health inequities if I provided support school by school, clinic by clinic, or community by community. There are over 1 billion people globally lacking access to basic medical expertise, including over 30 million in the United States. A fundamental gap exists between modern medical advancements and what is readily available and affordable for the majority of people around the world. An entrenched problem like this requires a highly scalable solution.

In 2014, the issue of access to high quality medical care became even more personal when my daughter Asha was born with a health problem. We could visit many world-class doctors and medical institutions, many of whom I trained with, to help figure out her case. My family’s fortunate circumstances made the healthcare injustices facing millions of other families even more tangible. That’s why I joined the Human Diagnosis Project — because I believe that this is our chance to dramatically increase access to quality care globally by unlocking the power of physician collaboration and open data. By combining the collective intelligence of doctors with machine learning, we intend to provide more accurate, affordable, and accessible healthcare for all.

It’s inspiring to see how thousands of doctors around the world are collaborating on Human Dx to help make higher quality care within reach for everyone. Listen to the story of one of my patients, Maria, and how Human Dx helped her:

Learn more about how the Human Diagnosis Project is working to provide better care to millions around the world at humandx.org.