Q&A: Sharon Allen, Co-Founder and CEO of World Telehealth Initiative

RamaOnHealthcare October 12, 2023

Solving Global Health Inequities

Today, RamaOnHealthcare welcomes and talks with Sharon Allen, the Co-Founder and CEO of World Telehealth Initiative. A pioneer in international philanthropic telehealth, Sharon seeks to improve the lives of fragile populations through projects that address global health equity. Under her leadership, World Telehealth Initiative developed an innovative model to leverage remote humanitarian healthcare professionals to provide sustainable medical expertise via telehealth. World Telehealth Initiative established remote specialist care and training for onsite clinicians in nearly 50 underserved communities throughout the world.

Sharon Allen, Co-Founder and CEO of World Telehealth Initiative

RamaOnHealthcare (ROH): Welcome to our Thought Leadership series! Please tell us about founding World Telehealth Initiative and what compelled you to get into this line of work.

Sharon Allen (SA): The founding of World Telehealth Initiative in 2017 resulted from personal and professional experiences that led me to transition to the nonprofit sector. Prior to launching World Telehealth Initiative, I had a fulfilling career as the CEO of a multi-branch distribution company. Yet, I felt a growing desire for a more profound sense of purpose, a ‘second mountain’ to climb, if you will.

During my journey of exploration, I had the good fortune of meeting Dr. Yulun Wang, who was instrumental in pioneering telehealth for modern healthcare systems. As an engineer, Dr. Wang designed the surgical robot that conducted the first trans-Atlantic surgery via telemedicine in 2001 (Operation Lindbergh). He then built an incredibly successful telemedicine company, which is now part of Teladoc Health (NYSE: TDOC). Through this experience, he recognized the technology’s potential to address the healthcare needs of underserved populations.

Together, Yulun and I began ideating on how we could leverage this technology to create a new model for philanthropic healthcare delivery. Telehealth can dismantle the barriers of distance and infrastructure that deny essential medical care to half the world’s population. We envisioned a model to bridge volunteer medical experts with marginalized communities through telehealth.

World Telehealth Initiative was founded as a unique solution to diminish global health inequities by applying telehealth to provide sustainable medical expertise to vulnerable communities. Our international network of volunteer medical experts uses telehealth technology to collaborate with, mentor, teach, and empower doctors in underserved regions. Consistent, ongoing support of clinicians in low-resource areas via telemedicine expands their skills and knowledge over time, who will serve countless patients and pass on the new skills to peers.

ROH: What sets World Telehealth Initiative apart from other global healthcare nonprofits?

SA: While many admirable organizations are working tirelessly to address global health inequity, World Telehealth Initiative distinguishes itself through its innovative approach. The scale of the global challenge is immense, and traditional solutions like medical missions can only make a limited impact.

What makes World Telehealth Initiative unique is our combination of telehealth and a custom-built platform, similar to those used by companies like Uber or Airbnb. This approach offers remarkable leverage and scalability. By harnessing the power of technology to ensure that essential medical expertise reaches those who need it most, we can finally make a meaningful and sustainable impact on global health disparities.

ROH: How do you recruit physicians and other healthcare workers to participate?

SA: Initially, we were uncertain about our ability to recruit healthcare providers to volunteer their services for low-resource populations. Yet, to our surprise, physicians have enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to volunteer with us. They can conveniently deliver their expertise from the comfort of their home or office via telehealth for maybe one hour per month, which can make a significant global impact. We constantly receive feedback like “This is why I went into medicine” or “This is the best part of my day.” We’re offering them a chance to make a difference and find renewed purpose in their careers, which is especially crucial considering clinician burnout is an epidemic in the U.S. healthcare system.

World Telehealth Initiative has tapped into the intrinsic desire of healthcare professionals to make a positive impact in the world while nourishing the souls of those who dedicate their expertise to our cause.

ROH: How is World Telehealth Initiative using telehealth and this custom platform that you spoke about?

SA: By leveraging telehealth technology and our custom platform, we can address global health disparities at a scale never before possible. Telehealth allows our providers to volunteer their expertise remotely, resonating with healthcare professionals and thereby creating a vast multitude of clinical resources. Even more remarkable is the telehealth technology is donated to us by Teladoc Health, which means we can operate on a global scale at no cost.

The custom platform we’ve built drives the efficient matching of a volunteer clinician with a request from our partner clinics and hospitals. The platform operates in a similar way to matching an Uber driver with a passenger. We connect, for example, a remote clinic that needs pediatric care with a pediatrician who has the right skills, language proficiency, availability, and cultural sensitivity. The World Telehealth Initiative platform is the key that allows us to harness a substantial pool of clinicians and connect them with resource-constrained clinics and hospitals. It’s how we make healthcare delivery more efficient and impactful – essentially, it’s how we’re creating a scalable solution to this global challenge.

ROH: Tell us how World Telehealth Initiative has provided critical healthcare access in conflict zones.

SA: When the conflict in Ukraine erupted, we quickly mobilized to support clinicians on the front lines who provide care for patients in critical condition. Today, more than 1,000 health facilities in Ukraine have been attacked and damaged, leaving hundreds of thousands without access to care. We formed a close partnership with the Ministry of Health in Ukraine and serve 26 hospitals and outposts in the country. Our programs connect Ukrainian patients and doctors with medical specialists in critical areas like trauma surgery, neurosurgery, and intensive care. Ukrainian medics near the front lines also use this telehealth network to connect with in-country experts from city centers. World Telehealth Initiative’s collaboration has led to the implementation of updated major hemorrhage protocols and an improvement in healthcare standards.

Mariia Karchevych, Deputy Minister of Health for Ukraine shared, “The World Telehealth Initiative program has been highly impactful for Ukrainian patients and doctors during the conflict. We have experienced firsthand how doctors located anywhere can effectively deliver care at any time. Telemedicine has the potential to be a key component in the transformation of our healthcare system.”

ROH: Can you briefly share a story where World Telehealth Initiative changed a patient’s life?

SA: One of my early trips on behalf of World Telehealth Initiative took me to a maternal clinic in Malawi, where I met Esperanza. At 19 years old, she and her husband were expecting their first child. When it came time for her to deliver, she began to labor at home, but on the second day of labor, it was evident she needed to go to the clinic. She couldn’t afford to hire a car for transportation, so her only option was to hire a bicycle. For six hours, while Esperanza was in active labor, she sat on a tiny bike seat on a bumpy road, en route to the clinic.

When she arrived, the clinicians were able to provide her with pain medication but lacked the training or facilities for a necessary C-section. She endured an obstructed labor for two more days and eventually delivered a stillborn baby.

Due to the trauma suffered over an extended labor, Esperanza developed an obstetric fistula. A fistula is a debilitating injury resulting from prolonged labor. The woman is often left with lifelong complications, such as incontinence. In Malawi, resources are limited, and most women with fistulas do not have access to products or supplies to keep themselves sanitary. Often, due to the odor, women are ostracized from their communities, abandoned by their husbands, and unable to work. Esperanza and more than two million other women in Africa have suffered from obstetric fistulas.

Through World Telehealth Initiative’s program, Esperanza received fistula repair surgery, a life-changing procedure. Our program in Malawi offers transformational surgery to women like Esperanza, allowing them to reintegrate into society as healthy, productive individuals.

Our telehealth network enabled fistula surgery experts to mentor the local novice surgeon through complicated procedures. Over time, the physicians in Malawi improved their surgical skills and have been able to perform more and more fistula surgeries independently. The growing independence of local physicians speaks to the sustainability of World Telehealth Initiative programs.

Esperanza’s story is just one of many examples of how World Telehealth Initiative is making a profound impact on the lives of individuals in underserved communities, providing essential medical expertise and hope for a brighter future.

ROH: Where can others learn more about your organization?

SA: More about World Telehealth Initiative can be found at:

https://www.worldtelehealthinitiative.org/

ROH: Ms. Allen, thank you so very much for sharing your insights and expertise with our Readers. We wish you all the very best in transforming global healthcare!

About Sharon Allen

Sharon is asked to present at notable global healthcare conferences – from the White House Telehealth Innovation Summit to keynoting Nigeria’s Healthcare Today Forum. The United Nations Association awarded Sharon the Peace Prize in 2023, recognizing those who have achieved measurable impact worldwide in the service of peace. She has been selected to serve on the World Health Organization (WHO) Digital Health Board of Advisors and Roster of Experts. She is currently working with WHO on their Telehealth Roadmap for the Underserved.