by Angela Guess

According to a recent press release, “IBM today named the first five winners of the company’s new IBM Health Corps grants, providing $2.5 million worth of public health-related pro bono consulting by some of IBM’s most talented employees around the world over the next six months. The first projects aim to increase the availability of chemotherapy medicines in sub Saharan Africa; better track and control Zika, dengue fever and other mosquito-borne diseases in Taiwan and Panama; foster more informed community health interventions in the Southeast United States; and increase access to diagnostic radiology in underserved countries.”

The release continues, “Health Corps is IBM’s latest example of pro bono consulting and technology services within the company’s portfolio of problem solving initiatives. The program deploys cross-disciplinary teams of five to six top performing IBM employees — all of whom spend one month in preparation — to spend three weeks with civil sector and not-for-profit health organizations worldwide. While on location, the teams draw upon IBM’s capabilities in data analytics, cognitive and cloud computing, mobile app development, Internet of Things, weather and health consulting to design strategies that help communities improve a given aspect of public health. The goal is to address disparities in healthcare access, improve services and increase impact.”

Read more at PR Newswire.

Photo credit: IBM