Hey everybody!

 

It’s been several weeks since I left Malawi, and I already miss the country. I miss the friends I made, the food I ate, and the fantastic culture I saw daily. 

Week eight and our final week was chaotic, fun, and bittersweet. We worked diligently and after hours almost every day to complete our project. In the end, Tatyana and I finished our training model to teach neonatal nasopharyngeal suctioning, and we were so lucky to have the chance to show nurses at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital our device and get their feedback. Seeing their reactions to our two months of hard work was incredibly rewarding and helped show me that I could make a difference through global health. Talking with them, we also realized some areas for improvement, and in the fall semester, I will continue working on this model. 

On our last day, we presented our devices and the project prompts we created for future teams after our needs-finding assessment. Seeing everyone share their work and unique experiences with the internship was amazing. 

Back in Houston, I am filled with a strange feeling–perhaps because I got used to daily life there or because my perspective has changed since the beginning of the summer. I thought I had an idea of what global health was about, but living in Malawi where I talked with people working in the hospital and shadowed physicians, I saw a completely different side of global health. I feel motivated to continue down the path of global health, as an engineer, physician, or anything else. 

My journey won’t end this summer just because this internship has. It’s just starting.   

I’m also including a reflection quote I wrote about the impact this internship has had on me. 

“Working with Rice360 partners at the MUBAS design studio and Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) taught me firsthand what global health is about–beyond what I could have learned in a classroom. I’m proud–that after starting with no real engineering experience–in just two months, I learned the necessary skills and built a training model for neonatal nasopharyngeal suctioning, which I got the chance to show NICU nurses at QECH. Their positive reaction to my device was uniquely rewarding, as it taught me I could have a real impact on global health. My experiences in Malawi through the Rice360 Summer Internship were simply transformative. The friendships I made, the conversations with engineers, nurses, and doctors, and the harrowing struggles I witnessed of patients fighting every day have deeply inspired me to commit to the shared calling called Global Health.”

 

Signing out,

Sanjay Senthilvelan

Hey everybody,

After researching and developing prototypes for the forearm ROM goniometer, we shifted the focus to the nasopharyngeal suctioning training model. Meeting with clinical mentors, we found a distinct, meaningful direction to continue this project, which previous intern teams had worked on. We completed redesigned the training model from the inside out. From creating internals that were accurate to a neonate’s to placing sensors on critical points of suctioning, we aimed to update the training model into a product that can truly teach anyone wanting to learn the procedure.

And it’s been going well! Our mentors have applauded the accuracy of our training model, and the electronics have been developing as smoothly as hot solder. The weeks ahead are promising, and we look forward to showing our mentors a final prototype.

In the meantime, the school has officially opened for MUBAS, with students flowing in ready to learn and, of course, design. We’ve met all sorts of student designers, from those creating novel neonatal incubators to AI-powered vein finders. Everyone seems full of inspiration and determination, which has led to a quite powerful environment in which to work.

Of course, during the weekends, we relaxed by visiting Majete National Park and Mt. Mulanje! We had a wonderful experience, seeing all sorts of animals and swimming in the waterfall’s super cold lake. I look forward to more progress and adventures.

Signing out,

Sanjay

Hey everybody! Week three has just finished, and the theme of the week felt like learning. From research to exploring Malawi’s history, I was thrilled by what I learned every week.

At the beginning of the week, Tatyana and I were assigned the task of designing a low-cost, intuitive device for measuring forearm range of motion (ROM). The project’s aim was to overcome training obstacles by creating a more accurate and user-friendly goniometer. By the end of last week, Tatyana and I had completed our research and wrote a comprehensive literature review detailing the gap in physiotherapy engineering development in Malawi. Fueled by the potential of the project, we quickly brainstormed and constructed a low-fidelity prototype of one of our designs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we approach the next week, the direction of the device is still to be determined. However, the project is full of promise, and we are eager to see where it leads us.

After completing the literature review, we received permission to work on a neonatal upper airway suctioning training model. This model had been worked on in the past and was considered complete. However, after speaking with Nest360 staff who oversee newborn care, it became clear that some common mistakes made by nurses were not accounted for in the device, necessitating additional functional aspects.

While working on our technical projects, Paula and I continued collecting data on the Rice360 devices related to quicker bacterial meningitis diagnosis. We interviewed a doctor and a chief technician from the pediatric ward and gained valuable insights into the current status and future directions of these devices.

On the weekend, we also had some fun exploring a local café that doubles as an art gallery and visiting Independence Arch, a monument symbolizing Malawi’s independence from Great Britain in 1964. We even found a United States Apollo Lunar Module replica at MUBAS! Each week brings new challenges and learning opportunities, and I am excited to continue sharing my experiences with you all.

When a swimmer stands on the edge of a 90-foot-tall diving board, they have two options: to hesitate or embrace the jump. Our team’s first day of the internship started with what felt like being told to stand on a diving board that tall. Looking down to see what we had to accomplish, we couldn’t help but feel intimidated and uncertain, but with a job to be done, we recognized we only had one choice: to embrace the jump.

With the Nest360 Phase 2 Launch happening in the capital city of Lilongwe the next week, MUBAS wanted to showcase the work of past and present Rice-MUBAS interns. With just 7 days, we had been tasked to quickly familiarize ourselves with a variety of coding and UI software and to apply them on the device being constructed for the launch that previous interns worked on. While some might feel the dive frustrating, our team considered the challenge uniquely refreshing. We independently learned, applied skills, and found solutions to our problems, leading to tremendous personal growth. But we weren’t entirely alone; we had each other and the support of the MUBAS TAs and our mentor Mr. Hillary. Suffice to say that the first week of this internship was defined by our preparation of medical devices for presentation at the Nest360 launch.

As mentioned, our team, comprising Paula, Ranken, Tatyana, and myself, was entrusted with continuing the work of past members of this internship. Paula and Ranken focused on a crucial project, creating a dashboard for a smart syringe pump. This device aimed to provide a low-cost alternative to automated large dose IV infusions. On the other hand, Tatyana and I took on the task of assembling the electronics and programming a drip rate monitor and controller device. We meticulously assembled the sensors, displays, and Arduino, and coded the user interface and back-end logic. Our work was a testament to our technical skills and dedication to the project.

Our devices were ready to be shown, and we were ready to present. I also brought with me to Malawi medical devices created by several student teams at Rice for needs-finding. These devices included two different diagnostic tools for Bacterial Meningitis and an Intuitive EEG Acquisition device. With the teams’ consent, I took them to Lilongwe to be presented alongside the work of MUBAS, the Malawi University of Science & Technology (MUST), and Rice360’s Malawi research office.

On the morning of Tuesday, June 11, 2024, the Vice President of Malawi, Dr Saulos Chilima, was confirmed dead in a fatal plane crash the previous day. The people of Malawi describe Dr. Chilima as a “great patriot who has served the nation selflessly.” All mourn his death, and I express my condolences to Dr. Chilima’s family and the country of Malawi. To respect Dr. Chilima’s life and impact, the celebration of Nest360’s Phase 2 Launch in Malawi was postponed.

To continue the exchange of engineering development, we students of MUBAS, MUST, and the Rice360 offices met to present our work to the leadership of Rice, MUBAS, MUST, KHUeS (Medical College), and the Rice360 advisory board. The showcase proved to be an insightful and educational dialogue, continuing the body of work for global health medical devices.

Reflecting on the week and our Lilongwe showcase, I would say I pushed my limits and accomplished more than I thought possible. As we embraced the dive, our splash was brilliant. However, with another week looming, I guess the cycle continues. Its time to drag ourselves out of the water, climb to the top, and get ready to jump again.

A photo of Ranken, Tatyana, Paula, and myself at the showcase to present the MUBAS and Rice360 devices!

They call Malawi the warm heart of Africa. Ironically, with Malawi being in Winter, the temperatures are actually cooler than Houston’s around this time of year, but the people have been nothing but kind and gentle. From the students to adults to even the food, Malawi has provided an environment evidently warm. 

Just one week ago, I arrived in Blantyre, Malawi, to participate in the Rice360 Summer Internship Program for Global Health. Over the next two months, I’ll be working with the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS) alongside two MUBAS interns and a fellow Rice Intern. During my stay, I hope to accomplish many goals toward empowering local healthcare settings through engineering medical devices. The next series of weeks will have its highs and lows, of which I will update you all on my progress and personal adventures. In the meantime, however, I’d like to introduce myself. 

My name is Sanjay Senthilvelan. I am a rising sophomore at Rice University, majoring in Biochemistry and Chemistry and minoring in Global Health Technologies. I’d say my interest in global health originates from my family background. As Indian immigrants, my parents told me stories from their childhood of witnessing patients being failed by hospitals paralyzed by a lack of resources. When we traveled to visit family in the country, I saw what my parents spoke about firsthand. 

This experience of mine is a large reason why I want to become a doctor and why I took a global health intro class during my very first semester at Rice. I learned a more empathetic and robust perspective on global health when I had deep conversations with the professor and TAs (one of whom had gone to Malawi last year!). The semester furthered my interests, leading me to take an appropriate design for global health engineering class that spring, a leadership role in the Rice Global Health club, and compete to place 3rd in the annual Rice Global Health design-a-thon. At every step, I learned more and grew an appreciation for the work of engineers and the doctors and nurses on the ground. 

I hope to continue that learning and admiration while I’m in Malawi, where I’ll try to embody the charming Malawian warmth as I work hard to further Rice360 and MUBAS’s efforts.

This is a picture of Paula and I with Ranken and Tatyana (the MUBAS interns) at a KFC (yeah, KFC!!!) a short walk from MUBAS.