Programs
CARTHA’s C2G2^SM training models for action, communication, and success aid both academics and practitioners to team up in new ways to advance global good.

We share with you our vision, our program portfolio, and exciting pilot initiatives in this short summary.

Program Accomplishments in our Formative Phases: 2006-2008
Our programs—all designed and developed since September 1, 2006—are resulting from service activities and outreach initiatives undertaken by our founder along with our team of Board members, advisors, Fellows, and Student Interns.

CARTHA has organized/participated at numerous conferences and symposia, some of which are included in the table and descriptions below.

If you have any interest in learning more about these efforts, participating in them, or supporting them, please contact Usha Balakrishnan.

We imagine and construct niches of interdisciplinary dialogs in immersive, action-oriented settings.

• Science, innovation, and entrepreneurship to advance global health technology transfer
  • Organized conference panel titled “Thirsting for Daily Sustenance: Public-Private Partnerships for Global Water-Access” at the 2009 annual conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science on February 14, 2009 in Chicago.
  • With CARTHA Council of Advisor Carlos Lucena de Aguiar, served on organizing committee and led panel titled “Building Bridges for Health Technology Innovation,” at First International Workshop on Health Technology Innovations sponsored by Fiocruz-Pernambuco and held in Recife, Brazil on November 11-12, 2008
  • Organized and led three-hour symposium titled “Humanity at the Nexus: Academic Partnerships and Entrepreneurship in Science and Global Health” held at the 2008 annual conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science on February 17, 2008 in Boston.
  • With CARTHA Council of Advisor Hugo Barrera, co-organized and moderated panel titled at the Universal Forum of Cultures in Monterrey, Mexico, October 27, 2007.
    
    
• Technology Managers for Global Health (TMGH)
  • Organize and chair the TMGH annual meetings. About 45-50 technology transfer professionals usually attend these meetings. Meeting agenda and speakers are available on the TMGH website. (www.tmgh.org/events) TMGH meetings are held in conjunction with the annual conference of the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM).
    
    
• Matching the idealism of younger generations to the challenges of Collaborative Doers
  • CARTHA Fellows participate in, and contribute to, CARTHA’s work, which in turn allows them to gain insights and experiences into the world of Collaborative Doers.
  • University students participate in, and contribute to, CARTHA’s work, which in turn exposes them in early ways to the practical challenges faced by Collaborative Doers.
  • Current Fellows’ interests range from issues in water resources management; microfinancing and women’s entrepreneurship; microinsurance; open source digital library model for health literacy; to global health public-private partnerships.

We proactively work to enhance the ecology within which social, technological, and entrepreneurial innovators can thrive to make our world a better place—locally, regionally, and globally.

• With CARTHA Council of Advisor Raj Rajagopal, we co-hosted a visit in Iowa City for well-known social entrepreneur Dr. N. Sethuraman, founder of Mahasemam, a microfinance institution and women’s empowerment network, and Meenakshi Mission Hospital in Madurai, India
• We formulated a Platform of Partners strategy, thereby linking CARTHA’s work and service contributions as:
  • Member of Committee on Scientific Freedom & Responsibility of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • Member of the Council on Foundations-Community Foundations Leadership Team
  • A Global Partner to the Global Entrepreneurship Week 2008 initiative;
  • A Charter Member of the Information Integrity Coalition;
  • Member of the India Development Coalition of America
  • Member of the Community Foundation of Johnson County Board
  • Member of Program Committee of the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council
• Speaker series titled “Finding Humanity and Humanitarianism in Science and Research Impacts”
  • Aim is to promote social service clubs as venues for scientists and their students to share their stories with local professionals in everyday settings.
  • Developed the concept and organized first two speakers at Iowa City Noon Rotary Club in 2006-2007. Typically, over 100 members of this Club are in attendance at every Thursday’s meeting.
  • First speaker was CARTHA Council of Advisor Dr. Chris Hillier who spoke on “Supportive Networks for Scientists/Entrepreneurs: A Scottish Perspective.”
  • Second speaker was Dr. Sarah England. With her presentation titled “Dr. England goes to Washington,” she spoke about her experiences as a 2005-2006 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow in Washington DC.
    
    
• Cosponsor of Iowa City Chapter of Café Scientifique
  
• Designed and led the program for visiting Rotarians from India
  • Hosted 7 Indian visitors who came to Iowa City under the Iowa Rotary Friendship Exchange Program. Program included University of Iowa students, faculty, and administrators, and business and community leaders. This event was featured on the Iowa City Noon Rotary Club’s website.
  • The University of Iowa issued a news release about this event.

We believe that networks of Collaborative Doers are crucial—across regions, disciplines, sectors, and generations.