High-Impact Growth
A podcast for social entrepreneurs, global development funders, nonprofit leaders, and anyone figuring out how to build solutions that are both immensely impactful and achieve high growth. Hosted by Dimagi CEO Jonathan Jackson and co-host Amie Vaccaro, it draws on 20 years of experience building digital tools for global health and development. Each episode unpacks barriers and opportunities for high-impact growth and features conversations with industry leaders around the world.
Episodes
Justin Steele on the Legibility Trap in Philanthropy
Justin Steele gave away nearly $700 million leading Google.org’s philanthropy across the Americas, and he watched funding flow to the nonprofits closest to power rather than those closest to the problem. Now the founder of Kindora, a public benefit corporation using AI to help nonprofits find funders who’d actually say yes, he calls this the legibility trap. In conversation with Dimagi CEO Jonatha
AI Philanthropy Is Coming. Are You Legibly Excellent?
What happens when AI philanthropy actually arrives? Jack Lewars advises donors giving up to nine figures a year — and he argues the wave of wealth expected from AI company IPOs is more locked in than skeptics think, with potentially $130 billion or more committed to charity even in conservative scenarios. In this conversation with hosts Amie Vaccaro and Jonathan Jackson, Jack explains why concentr
Disability Inclusion in Global Development, with Dr. Victor Pineda
Disability inclusion in global development starts with a question most teams never ask: who is your technology quietly leaving out? Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda, executive director of Berkeley's Center for Independent Living, president of the global inclusion nonprofit World Enabled, and one of the youngest delegates to help draft the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, joi
Grow the Pie: GiveDirectly's CEO on Absorbing the Third Wave
Five years ago, they were mid-level software engineers. Today, they hold giving accounts larger than major foundations — and the sector they want to fund may not be ready to absorb the money. Nick Allardice, CEO of GiveDirectly and former CEO of Change.org, joins Amie and Jonathan to unpack his widely discussed article "The Absorption Problem" and what the "third wave" of phila
From Embracing Complexity to Solving the Right Problems
Could a funder deploy $100 million in global health tomorrow and know where every single dollar went? Dimagi CEO and co-founder Jonathan Jackson believes verified service delivery finally makes the answer yes. In this candid mid-2026 check-in, Jon joins co-host Amie Vaccaro, VP of CommCare Growth and Strategy, to unpack a year of profound change including why Dimagi retired its longtime value &quo
Eric Ries on Why Good Companies Go Bad
What does it really mean to make a profit — and why do so many mission-driven companies eventually betray the very things that made them great? In this episode, Eric Ries, creator of The Lean Startup and founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange, joins Amie Vaccaro and Jonathan Jackson to discuss his new book Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad and How Great Companies Stay Great. Eric dismantle
The Last Mile of Family Planning: Lessons from Lafiya in Nigeria
In a single program area in northern Nigeria, contraceptive use climbed from 2% to over 70%. This change wasn't caused by a new technology, but happened because of one new strategy: centering trust. In this episode, Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro sit down with Klau Pakos, CEO and co-founder of Lafiya, to unpack how their organization closes the "last mile" gap in family planning i
Why Development Needs More Innovation, Not Less with DIV Fund
When USAID was dissolved, Sasha Gallant didn't let the work she'd spent years building disappear with it. As the former head of Development Innovation Ventures (DIV), USAID's evidence-driven innovation fund, Gallant watched stop-work orders freeze over 100 active awards overnight. Rather than let that portfolio die, she did two things: Helped mobilize more than $130 million to keep the
Who Actually Owns This? Naming What's Broken with Nithya Ramanathan
What does it actually take for a country, government, or community to truly own a technology or an outcome? In this fast-paced and candid episode of High-Impact Growth, Dimagi CEO Jonathan Jackson and co-host Amie Vaccaro welcome back Nithya Ramanathan, CEO and co-founder of Nexleaf Analytics. Moving past polite sector rhetoric, Nithya and Jonathan break down why so many well-intentioned global he
40,000 Health Workers, One AI-Powered Lifeline
What happens when a health extension worker in rural Ethiopia faces a complex case and there's no doctor nearby? This episode goes beyond the AI hype cycle to explore a live, working answer: HEP Assist, a generative AI-powered call center built for Ethiopia's 40,000 health extension workers by Last Mile Health, IDinsight, and the Ethiopian Ministry of Health.Abraham Zerihun, Ethiopia Count
Closing the Gap: Scaling Mental Health Care Through Local Heroes with Pavel Reppo
Imagine a country of 50 million people with only 50 psychiatrists. This staggering treatment gap is the reality in Uganda, but Pavel Reppo is proving that specialized experts aren’t the only ones who can provide life-changing care. As the Executive Director of Finemind and CEO of Matchbox Fund, Pavel brings a rare dual perspective to the conversation, bridging the worlds of grassroots mental healt
Thinking About Individual Giving? Start Here
As traditional funding sources shift, many nonprofits are asking a hard question: can individual giving become a meaningful and sustainable revenue stream? In this episode of High-Impact Growth, Amie Vaccaro and Jonathan Jackson sit down with Javan Van Gronigen, founder of Donate.ly, to unpack what it truly takes to make that transition work.Drawing from more than a decade in digital fundraising,
Beyond “AI for Good”: Building Responsible AI
AI is moving fast in global health and development, but good intentions alone don’t guarantee good outcomes. In this episode of High-Impact Growth, we sit down with Genevieve Smith, Founding Director of the Responsible AI Initiative at UC Berkeley’s AI Research Lab, to unpack what it really means to build and deploy AI responsibly in contexts that matter most.Drawing on a decade of experience in i
![[Pods Fight Poverty Re-Air] How GiveDirectly is Changing Aid](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/23694801/23694801-1669688115622-14523d199bc2d.jpg)
[Pods Fight Poverty Re-Air] How GiveDirectly is Changing Aid
Today’s episode is a re-air in support of Pods Fight Poverty, a campaign from our friends at GiveDirectly. You can learn more and donate at: GiveDirectly.org/DimagiUpdate: You can learn about the impact of this campaign here.—-In this episode, we’re joined by Stella Luk, Regional Director at GiveDirectly, and Erin Quinn, Dimagi’s Senior Director of Customer Success, to explore a fundamental questi
What Makes a Dollar Matter? Lessons from Coefficient Giving
What if you could identify exactly where your philanthropic dollar would save the most lives or improve the most years of healthy living? In this episode, Deena Mousa, lead researcher at Coefficient Giving (formerly Open Philanthropy), walks us through the rigorous frameworks that guide one of the world's most analytically driven funders. From evaluating causes using importance, neglectedness,
The Thinking You Can't Skip: AI for Good at a Crossroads
In part four of our AI for Good series, hosts Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro reconnect with Brian DeRenzi, Dimagi's VP of AI and Research, to explore how AI is evolving—and what it still can't do. Since our last conversation, technology has made staggering leaps, but the global health sector has also been rocked by funding cuts, creating massive tension between potential and reality.Brian share
Funders: The Power to Change the System
What comes next in a world where old funding models are breaking down? Our guest, Dr. Kevin Starr, CEO of the Mulago Foundation, argues this shift isn't a crisis but a "much needed reality bath". After a personal tragedy sent him stumbling from medicine into philanthropy, Kevin built one of the most respected impact-focused foundations. In this conversation, we explore Mulago's unique model of pro
A Radical Bet on Simplicity and Affordability
In early 2025, massive funding cuts from USAID sent shockwaves through the global development sector, leaving many to wonder what would come next. The money was gone, but the problems remained. In this follow-up conversation, Dimagi Managing Directors Gillian Javetski and Ismaïla Diene rejoin the podcast to discuss the aftermath and the unexpected "diamonds" created from the pressure. Th
Leading Through Chaos: Jayson Morris on Grief, Healing, and Emergent Leadership
What happens when the leadership skills that once fueled success no longer serve in today’s climate of uncertainty? In this episode of High Impact Growth, leadership coach Jayson Morris returns for a candid conversation with Dimagi CEO Jonathan Jackson and host Amie Vaccaro. Together, they explore how leaders can navigate grief, anger, and fear while still showing up with authenticity and resilien
Disrupted, Not Defeated: The Next Chapter in Global Development
Raj Kumar, President and Editor-in-Chief of Devex, returns to High Impact Growth for a candid and insightful conversation about the future of global development. In a world reeling from sudden aid cuts and structural overhauls, Raj joins co-hosts Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro to unpack what this era of uncertainty means for NGOs, governments, and social enterprises alike.They explore:- The fal
The Somatic Edge: Leading with Capacity in a Stress-Filled World with Franzi Gonder
In this insightful episode, hosts Amie Vaccaro and Jonathan Jackson welcome Franzi Gonder, a renowned somatic leadership coach and entrepreneur. Franzi shares her personal journey into somatic work, emphasizing how understanding our bodies can profoundly shape our leadership. The conversation delves into the pervasive "beginner's mindset" in high-performance environments and its impa
"The System's Burned Down. This Is Our Moment." With Nithya Ramanathan
The old paradigms of global health are shifting. Nithya Ramanathan, Co-founder & CEO of Nexleaf Analytics, joins us to discuss navigating this new reality and rebuilding for impactful futures. As Nithya powerfully states, "the system has been burned down. this is our moment" – presenting a unique opportunity to redefine how we create impact. We explore Nexleaf's strategic pivots,
Flipping the Script on Aid: Five Talents' Journey to Participatory Impact
In this episode, we’re joined by Rachel Lindley, Hannah Wichmann, and Samantha Muli from Five Talents to explore a bold shift in how development is done: What if communities—not donors—defined success, owned their data, and led the path forward?Five Talents supports women entrepreneurs across Eastern Africa through savings groups, but their approach goes far beyond finance. It’s a story of transfo
Cash, Choice and Dignity: How GiveDirectly is Changing Aid
In this episode, we’re joined by Stella Luk, Regional Director at GiveDirectly, and Erin Quinn, Dimagi’s Senior Director of Customer Success, to explore a fundamental question: What if, instead of aid programs deciding what communities need, we simply gave people cash and trusted them to make the best choices for themselves?GiveDirectly has pioneered direct, unconditional cash transfers to people
The People and Planet Parts of Running a “Sustainable” Company
In this episode, hosts Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro are joined by two leaders on Dimagi’s People Operations team – Emily Gutman and Molly Broderick – to delve into what it takes to run Dimagi in a way that’s sustainable for its employees and the planet.. From reimagining performance management systems to demystifying the complexities of climate neutrality, they offer an unfiltered look at the
The Future of Aid: Adapting to a Changing Funding Landscape
The landscape of international aid is shifting rapidly, leaving organizations and communities facing unprecedented challenges. In this episode, hosts Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro are joined by Gillian Javetski, Managing Director of Dimagi’s Software-as-a-Service division, and Ismaïla Diene, Managing Director of Dimagi's Solutions division, to unpack the impact of massive funding cuts on g
Building SaaS Products for Global Health: Lessons from CommCare & SureAdhere
In this episode, Dimagi product leaders Danny Roberts, Kai Cowger, and Matthew Hayto delve into the challenges and opportunities of building SaaS products for global health. This insightful conversation explores transitioning from donor-driven funding to a product-driven model, focusing on user needs, product sustainability, and scaling for impact. The episode highlights the complexity of aligning
From Extractive Data Collection to Inclusive Data Sharing: Nora Lindström on the Evolution of ICT4D
In this episode, Nora Lindström, Senior Director of ICT4D at Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and Erin Quinn, Senior Director of Customer Success at Dimagi join the podcast to discuss the evolving role of the iNGO in the context of localization and advancing local leadership, the intersection of technology and localization in global development, and the ways that technologists in global development
The Strategic Role of Data Management in Cure Violence Global’s Work
In this episode of High-Impact Growth, hosts Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro talk with Dr. Charles Elliott, Director of Data Management at Cure Violence Global (CVG), an organization using a public health approach to prevent violence. Dr. Elliott shares insights into how CVG views violence like an epidemic, applying data-driven methods to map and reduce violence in communities around the world.
Improving Health Worker Jobs to Improve Outcomes with CommCare Connect
In this episode of High Impact Growth hosts Amie Vaccaro and Jonathan Jackson, dive into one of Dimagi’s most ambitious and potentially transformative projects to date, CommCare Connect. This platform is designed to improve the jobs of community health workers (CHWs) by equipping them with digital tools to learn new skills, deliver health services, verify their work, and, crucially, get paid for a
Financing Community Health Programs with Africa Frontline First
In today’s conversation, co-hosts Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro are joined by Nan Chen, Co-Executive Director of Africa Frontline First. Africa Frontline First is on a mission to increase financing for community health worker programs across Africa to save and improve lives. Half of the world's population lack access to essential health services and community health workers, who expand pri
Building Tech Products that Matter in a Broken Market
Dr. Kelly Collins and Gillian Javetski join co-hosts Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro for a candid conversation about the market for digital health products.
Kelly returned from the World Health Assembly with a burning question: How can we teach global health to buy software as a commodity, the same way they might buy drugs or diagnostic tools? How might we peel back the influence of aid and don
Harnessing Somatic Intelligence: Tools and Practices for Leading in Uncertainty
Jayson Morris, Jonathan’s coach, joins the podcast for a candid dialogue on the challenges of social enterprise leadership amidst increasing uncertainty. Jayson shares his journey from investment banking to international development and eventually to coaching, highlighting his experience with burnout and neuroadrenal fatigue. He emphasizes the importance of tapping into the body’s innate wisdom an
What’s New in AI: Equity-enhancing use cases and Open Chat Studio
In Part 3 in our series on AI, Brian DeRenzi, head of Dimagi's research and data team, joins Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro to discuss how advances in AI can affect global health and development. They discuss AI's rapid evolution, practical applications, and the importance of thoughtful implementation to avoid a future where only the privileged benefit. The discussion covers Dimagi'
System Catalysts: Why are Thousands of Donated Organs Thrown Away Each Year?
Today we are sharing an episode from a podcast we think you'll enjoy. System Catalysts is about the incredible people who are fixing the broken systems that run the world.
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Are you an organ donor? If yes, good for you! But you should know that your organs might not reach the person who needs them. That’s because the organ donation system is a mess, leading to over a dozen preventable death
Solve One Problem: From vision to global impact with Chesca Colloredo-Mansfeld, Co-Founder of MiracleFeet
One in 800 babies are born with clubfoot, a treatable birth impairment that left untreated prevents a child from walking, and becomes the root cause for illiteracy, abuse, malnutrition, and poverty in many parts of the world. Clubfoot is routinely treated at birth in high income countries, but historically children born in low and middle income countries have not had access to quality treatment. T
From I to We: Trust, Co-Creation and Ego in Social Innovation with Jeroo Billimoria
Co-hosts, Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro are joined by Jeroo Billimoria, a remarkable serial social entrepreneur. Starting at age 12, Jeroo has founded several impactful organizations, including Child and Youth Finance International, Aflatoun, Childline India Foundation and Catalyst 2030. In this candid conversation we learn about her journey and discuss:
Solving for root cause problems
Creatin
Glasswing International: Empowering Communities through Mental Health Care and Leveraging Technology for Lasting Impact
Glasswing International is a NGO with a remarkable journey, having impacted more than 2.2 million lives through their education and health initiatives throughout Latin America and New York City. Co-founder and President Celina de Sola shares her insights on the organization's evolution and growth to 600 employees, and their community-driven approach that led to the organization's non-clini
Empowering Healthcare Access: How the US Digital Service at CMS is shaping policies and creating an equitable digital future
In this insightful podcast episode, we feature guests Andrea Fletcher, Chief Digital Strategy Officer, and Remy DeCausemaker, Open Source Lead at the Digital Service at Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), discussing the critical role of digital technology in shaping healthcare strategies within the U.S. government. The discussion delves into the intersections of technology, healthcar
Equity and AI in Global Health: leveraging AI to benefit underserved populations and dispel Inequitable Dystopia
In part 2 of this series on Artificial Intelligence, Jonathan Jackson and Brian DeRenzi, Dimagi’s Research and Data team lead, openly talk about the rapid evolution of AI, its vast potential, and what Dimagi has been up to over the last few months since winning the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges grant to build a frontline worker coaching chatbot. In this candid conversation, th
Category Design and why it matters for Global Health and Development Organizations engaged in Breakthrough Work
Our co-hosts are joined by thirteen-time #1 bestselling co-author and pioneer in Category Design, Chris Lochead, to discuss Category Design, and how it's relevant for NGOs and social impact organizations. He delves into the fundamentals while offering insights on how to shift from the current competitive state to a new, transformative future. This episode is brimming with compelling story exam
Reimagining Tuberculosis Treatment and Care: Putting People at the Center of Tech Innovation with Jackie Huh
STOP TB has an ambitious objective driving the RTC initiative: ending global tuberculosis epidemic by 2030. In this episode, we talk about the innovative efforts taken by STOP TB's Reimagining TB Care initiative, addressing the intricate challenges of combating tuberculosis through comprehensive 360-degree, people-centered approach.
Our guest speaker, Jackie Huh from Stop TB, will share insi
Enabling and Elevating Community Health Workers across the US: Insights from MHP Salud’s Impact Delivery Approach to Technology
Co-hosts Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro are joined by MHP Salud’s CEO, Dr. Maggie Dante and Data and Evaluation Analyst, Rachel Udow. MHP Salud is championing Community Health Workers across the US both within their organization and through training and consulting on how to best integrate CHW programs. Over the last decade, MHP Salud has been on a digital transformation journey - leveraging tec
Introducing Impact Delivery: Raising the Bar for Digital In Global Health & Development
Social impact organizations and governments worldwide are under immense pressure to do more with less. We are confronting an array of complex, constantly-evolving pressures ranging from economic uncertainty, humanitarian crises, inflation, pandemics, and climate change. All of this means we need to deliver more services to more people. And, we often need to do it with flat or decreasing levels of
From Skepticism to Scale: Lessons from Friendship Bench with Dr. Dixon Chibanda
Dr. Dixon Chibanda started Friendship Bench after losing a patient to suicide who could not afford to travel to the hospital in Zimbabwe where he worked. There had to be a way to make mental health care more accessible. Today, Friendship Bench has a team of grandmothers across Zimbabwe who are trained to deliver evidence-based high-impact therapy on park benches, making mental health support readi
Ethiopia’s Digitization Journey: The Path to Paperless with Dr. Girma Tadesse
Discover the key ingredients to Ethiopia's incredible progress in digital health as Ali Flaming and Amie Vaccaro speak with Dr. Girma Tadesse, electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS) Project Manager with JSI. Stemming from a clear vision for improving health outcomes and data use, the Ethiopian government has been on a digital health transformation journey starting in 1991. As
How the proCHW movement can enable quality care for all with Dr. Madeleine Ballard
Rediscover the power of community health workers (CHWs) and their critical role in delivering healthcare globally in this captivating conversation with Jonathan Jackson and Dr. Madeleine Ballard, CEO of the Community Health Impact Coalition (CHIC). Despite concrete evidence that CHWs work, millions are not salaried, skilled, supervised and supplied. The WHO recommends remunerating CHWs for their w
Too Valuable to Fail | Your Questions Answered
Testing out a new format for this podcast - short form responses to questions from you, our audience. Plus video!
In this Your Questions Answered episode, we break down a recent learning that Jonathan Jackson shared on LinkedIn regarding working with governments on digital health programs:
“I used to think the goal with digital health programs as a technology partner was to get too big to fail. I
Scaling mental health care: Exploring the intersection of mental health, physical health, human connection & technology
Depression alone is projected to be the third leading cause of disease burden in lower and middle income countries by 2030, where 75% of people don't receive any treatment.
In this episode we delve into the escalating global issue of mental health care. Jonathan Jackson speaks with three of Dimagi’s experts: senior health strategy specialist Lauren Magoun, senior project analyst Anaba Sunday A
Empowering TB Patients through Technology: The SureAdhere Impact
In this episode, we discuss technology's impactful role in making services accessible, specifically in the treatment of Tuberculosis (TB). Listen as Chris Buri, a TB survivor and patient advocate, shares his experience with TB treatment and the importance of patient support and advocacy in TB care. You’ll also hear about his personal journey of resilience and advocacy, the challenges and oppo
Taking New Technology from Research to Commercial Scale: The SureAdhere Story with Dr. Richard Garfein and Dr. Kelly Collins
In this episode we chat to renowned epidemiologist, healthcare innovator, and educator Dr. Richard Garfein and social entrepreneur and infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Kelly Collins, as they share their journey of turning an idea from research in academia into a successful commercial enterprise. They discuss their experiences in starting SureAdhere, licensing the software from UCSD, and signi
Reimagining global mental health care with a person-centered, digitally-enabled approach with Dr. Vikram Patel, successor to Paul Farmer at Harvard Medical School
“There is no health without mental health.” - Dr. Vikram Patel
Dr. Vikram Patel is a psychiatrist, professor, renowned researcher, co-founder of Sangath, in India, and the incoming chair of Harvard Medical School Department of Global Health and Social Medicine where he takes over for the late Dr. Paul Farmer. Through decades of field-defining research, Dr Patel has shown how community-based resour
How Community Health Workers Shaped the Creation of CommCare, the Platform for Impactful Frontline Work with Gayo Mhila
Dimagi’s CommCare platform has been shaped by its users since its inception. Today, we revisit some of the first Community Health Workers who helped design and test CommCare back in 2008 in Tanzania. Co-host Amie Vaccaro speaks with two people who led that early research – Gayo Mhila, who has recently interviewed 5 of the earliest users, and Dr. Brian DeRenzi, Dimagi's Global Director of Rese
Championing a Movement to Pay and Professionalize Community Health Workers with Margaret Odera
In this episode we explore the journey of Margaret Odera, a Community Health Worker and mentor mother in Kenya. Following her HIV diagnosis, Margaret received life-changing support from a mentor mother, which inspired her to dedicate her life to helping other HIV-positive mothers and their newborns. As the founder of the Community Health Workers Champions Network (CHWCN), Margaret is also leading
Building Resilience: The Key to Combating Burnout in Frontline Workers with Lilianna Bagnoli
In a world where stress is inevitable, burnout is rife, and the global mental health burden is growing, it's crucial to develop the skill of resilience to recover, adapt, and grow from stress. This episode highlights how building resilience can guard against burnout, a workplace phenomenon that affects many Frontline Workers, resulting in feelings of fatigue, detachment, and a reduction in pro
Equity and AI in Global Health: Exploring Large Language Models, Building Chatbots and Embracing Discomfort
Jonathan Jackson sits down with Brian DeRenzi, Dimagi’s Research and Data team lead, to discuss Dimagi’s work exploring large language models to create chatbots for global health and development use cases. They discuss how we might leverage AI to advance equity despite the reality that it can also decrease equity, while recognizing the irreplaceable value of human-to-human connection in healthcar
A New Era for Development with Raj Kumar of Devex: Shifting from a Project Mindset to an Investment Mindset
Global development is evolving quickly in the face of social, economic, and political changes. Jonathan Jackson sits down with Raj Kumar, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Devex, a leading independent online news platform for development professionals, to discuss how 2023 marks the start of a new, more challenging development era. With growing competition between China and Russia and the West, a new
Undersupported, Unrecognized and Vital: 3 Community Health Workers supported by Lwala Community Alliance Speak Out
Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro sit down with three Community Health Workers, supported by the Lwala Community Alliance, as they share first-hand their journey into community health, their day-to-day, the impact of digital tools on their work, and the importance of salaried Community Health Workers in creating greater access to critical health services worldwide. This is part 2 in a two-part ser
The Four Pillars of Community-Led Health: Insights from Julius Mbeya, Co-CEO at Lwala Community Alliance
Jonathan Jackson sits down with Julius Mbeya, Co-CEO of the Lwala Community Alliance, to discuss their approach to addressing health challenges in Kenya. By using a community-led health model, they are able to provide quality, affordable healthcare to underprivileged communities, and reduce maternal and under-five deaths. This is part one in a two-part series on the important work Lwala Community
Reducing health inequities through digital innovation with Olukunle Akinwusi of FIND & Erica Troncoso of Jhpiego: Dispatches from the Global Digital Health Forum 2022
Jonathan Jackson sits down with Olukunle Akinwusi, Technical Officer for Digital Access at FIND & Erica Troncosco, Technical Advisor and Portfolio Lead for Frontier Technology Solutions at Jhpeigo, at the Global Digital Health Forum, to discuss the value of innovation in improving health equity through thoughtful diagnostics, involving the user in the design process, investing in the digital l
Building digital as a horizontal foundation: Insights from growing Dimagi's marketing team
In today’s episode we flip the script and Jonathan Jackson interviews Amie Vaccaro to discuss her career journey, her experiences, and the lessons learned so far in growing the marketing team at Dimagi. The potential of digital to support iNGOs and governments can only be really unlocked when it becomes a foundational layer that supports all aspects of the organization’s work horizontally. We oft
Reflections on Starting this Podcast
High-Impact Growth podcast co-hosts Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro reflect on 9 months of podcasting, from finding their voice, to key insights, tools, and insider tips for those considering starting a podcast. Some topics covered in this conversation include:
What it means to share non-obvious perspectives - why they matter and the tradeoffs
How to think about planning for your podcast -
How to double the impact of your team with Liz Wiseman, author of Multipliers
Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro sit down with Liz Wiseman, researcher, executive advisor, and author of New York Times bestseller Multipliers and three other books to learn about multiplier leadership. In this candid conversation, Liz discusses the research behind Multipliers and how to apply it within global health and development to ensure you are fully realizing your team’s potential.
Some t
Prioritizing better jobs for Frontline Workers in the digital health community with Jonathan Jackson: Dispatches from the 2022 Global Digital Health Forum
Jonathan Jackson unpacks the session he led at the Global Digital Health Forum called “Is the Digital Health Community Creating Better Jobs for Users?” In it, he discusses the idea of introducing a 10th Principle for Digital Development 'Make the users’ job better.' Creating better jobs for better outcomes is at the heart of Dimagi’s work and 5 year strategy.
Some topics covered in th
Meeting the Need for Global Mental Health Care with Digital featuring Lauren Magoun: Dispatches from the Global Digital Health Forum
Jonathan Jackson sits down with Lauren Magoun, Dimagi’s Senior Health Strategy Specialist, at the Global Digital Health Forum to discuss the realities of the global mental health crisis, the lack of access to mental health care, and the innovative work Dimagi is driving to develop digital solutions that enable frontline providers to address the gap in mental health care.
Some topics covered
How will advances in AI impact global health and development with Clayton Sims: Dispatches from the Global Digital Health Forum 2022
Jonathan Jackson sits down with Clayton Sims, Dimagi’s Chief Technology Officer, at the Global Digital Health Forum, to discuss the opportunities, realities & future of artificial intelligence in the global health and development space.
Some topics covered in this conversation include:
Exploring the highest impact use cases of AI for global health and development including language models,
Partnering with the government to improve maternal health with Nick Pearson and Sathy Rajasekharan of Jacaranda Health: Dispatches from the 2022 Global Digital Health Forum
Jonathan Jackson sits down with Jacaranda Health’s co-executive directors Nick Pearson & Sathy Rajasekharan at the Global Digital Health Forum, to discuss challenges and learnings along their journey to impact in maternal and child health in Kenya.
Some topics covered in this conversation include:
Navigating a major pivot as a digital health organization from running private health centers t
Creating a Digital Ecosystem to Improve Frontline Humanitarian Impact: Mercy Corps’ Approach to Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning
Jonathan Jackson sits down with Mercy Corps’ Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEL) team – Meri Ghorkhmazyan, Senior Director MEL, Alex Tran, Senior MEL Advisor and Hanna Camp, Senior Advisor, Technology for MEL. They discuss how MEL is the next generation of M&E and how it has fuelled program adaptation and higher level learning to improve frontline impact at Mercy Corps.
Some topics cove
Advocating for Frontline Workers at Davos: Reflections from a Social Entrepreneur after the World Economic Forum
Jonathan Jackson shares his candid reflections and takeaways from his time at the recent World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, as well as his stance on some of the biggest problems we are facing and the biggest bets we need to make to create a better world.
Some topics covered in this conversation include:
The background of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship and its r
Unlocking the Potential of AI in Public Health with Rebecca Distler of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation: Dispatches from the 2022 Global Digital Health Forum
Jonathan Jackson sits down with Rebecca Distler, Strategist for AI, Data and Digital Health at the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation at the Global Digital Health Forum, to discuss the challenges and opportunities of digital health and AI.
Some topics covered in this conversation include:
Investing in enabling environments for digital health
The need to plan for day 2000 on day 1, and the tension b
Taking a whole-of-government approach to digital health in Zambia with Innocent Chiboma from the Zambian Ministry of Health: Dispatches from the 2022 Global Digital Health Forum
“If you want to get a holistic picture of a person's health, you have to look at everything that concerns them, including for instance the issues of the local authorities - sanitation…water, everything to do with that. So we should not limit digital health to ministry of health. It's something that will go to all the other government ministries and agencies and may I say including the private sect
Embrace complexity for impact: Articulating Dimagi’s culture and values with Lucina Tse, Gillian Javetski, Avni Singhal and Simon Kelly (Part 4)
“I think the work that we're doing is inherently really complex. A lot of our partners are doing complex work and they're working in really complex environments. This a very necessary value because without this, we wouldn't actually be on that road to greater impact. “ - Avni Singhal
“We intentionally run towards taking on the highest impact projects. Knowing that of our portfolio of national sca
Must-Listen Guidance for Technologists in Global Health from Malawi’s Head of Digital Health, Simeon Yosefe: Dispatches from the 2022 Global Digital Health Forum
“For us as a country, we want to implement and deploy comprehensive systems. A system that actually encompasses everything. Not only focusing on one company. HIV may be a starting point, but we want these resources not only to be limited to HIV, but they should cover everything. And by doing that, we ensure that we are taking care of everything. If a mother is pregnant, is HIV positive, or also ha
Evolve by learning and sharing openly: Articulating Dimagi’s culture and values with Lucina Tse, Gillian Javetski, Avni Singhal and Simon Kelly (part 3)
“I think the out-collaborate piece really stands out for me on this value. And a lot of our partners come to my mind. Dimagi’s had a lot of experience working across healthcare, across agriculture, across education. Yet we always approach a new partner as a unique new project that we're starting from scratch.We have a strong product, we have a strong method, but we're always looking to learn throu
Lead with empathy and respect: Articulating Dimagi’s culture and values with Lucina Tse, Gillian Javetski, Avni Singhal and Simon Kelly (part 2)
“80% of the time, it's easy to be respectful and empathetic. But that last 20% of the time, that's where the rubber really meets the road. It's being respectful and empathetic all of the time that really brings the team together and allows us to have these outsized, impactful outcomes… And that's really hard in an industry that is so stressful and complex as ours.” - Jonathan Jackson, Dimagi
Nick Martin of TechChange on Training, Content, and the Evolution and Maturation of Digital Health: Dispatches from the 2022 Global Digital Health Forum
Jonathan Jackson talks to Nick Martin, CEO of TechChange at the Global Digital Health Forum to discuss the evolution and maturation of the digital health industry over the last 10 years, including the role of training, great content, project sustainability and shared buy-in in creating the outcomes we all know are possible.
Some topics covered in this conversation include:
How digital health has
Be bold but humble: Articulating Dimagi’s culture and values with Lucina Tse, Gillian Javetski, Avni Singhal and Simon Kelly (part 1)
“At Dimagi we’re not afraid of making mistakes. We’re not afraid of failing. We actually like to fail and learn through each other.” - Avni Singhal
“We try to partner to a much larger extent than I think would be reasonable for a software company under normal market conditions. But we’re not under normal market conditions, and what we’re trying to do and accomplish…requires a huge amount of boldne
Bringing Global Health Best Practices to US Public Health Response: Entering the US Market to Meet the Needs of COVID-19 with Carter Powers, Sarah Sagan and Lily Olson
“We went from no solution to a fully deployed at scale solution in less than six weeks. And all of that is really a testament to the power of a technology platform.” Sarah Sagan, Senior Director of Delivery
“I felt really patriotic. I felt really proud of my government. I felt really lucky to have the curtain lifted on my healthcare system and the way that state and local government contribute to
The Journey to Scale: Lessons learned from supporting the largest digitally-enabled Frontline Worker program in the world with Kriti Mehrotra, Shayoni Mazumdar and Stella Luk
“It's not just getting started or getting to scale it's…how are you going to keep improving at scale?” - Jonathan Jackson, CEO and Co-Founder, Dimagi
Today we tell the story of the largest digital health project Dimagi has ever worked on supporting the Government of India’s Integrated Child Development Services, which is the largest public health and nutrition program in the world. Launched in 201
Takeaways from the 77th United Nations General Assembly: Breaking Down Silos, Supporting the Global Fund’s 7th Replenishment, and Unpacking Global Development’s Talent Gap with Dr. Kelly Collins
What is the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and why does it matter? Jonathan Jackson and Dr. Kelly Collins attended the 77th UN General Assembly and join the podcast to share their key takeaways from the week, including the Global Fund’s 7th Replenishment. You’ll also hear reflections on the talent gap in global health and development.
Related Resources:
PEPFAR’s new strategy: https://www.st
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