Kenyan Engineer, Training in India: Maternal and Newborn Health at the Heart of WIPO’s Global Health Innovation Fellowship Program
April 4, 2025
April 4, 2025 ・ minutes reading time
Opinde is part of the inaugural cohort of the WIPO Global Health Innovation Fellowship program. Launched in cooperation with the Indian Department of Biotechnology’s Biodesign Program, the initiative aims to foster innovation at the intersection of technology and public health, and includes doctors, engineers, and scientists.
With a background in engineering, Peter relocated from his country Kenya to India in April 2024 to begin a 24-month fellowship at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), a public institute of technology, in New Delhi. There, he works everyday with entrepreneurs, medical professionals, researchers and technology graduates – all working collaboratively to shape innovation to improve health outcomes.
The focus of Peter’s research lies in developing a medical technology designed to benefit women and infants. By combining his engineering skills with real-world insights gained from the communities he works with, Peter is showing us how collaboration can promote lifesaving solutions by developing a new medical technology to support women during childbirth.
“My goal is clear, and I’m working on a project to improve the health outcomes of new mothers and children,” Peter says, adding: “I knew this was an area where I had to do something.”
On the occasion of World Health Day, WIPO’s Global Health Unit is featuring Opinde’s work which addresses important issues of women’s health.
Caring for mothers and newborns is vital. Unfortunately, there is much ground to be covered. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every year, around 300,000 women die from complications during pregnancy or childbirth. Further, more than two million babies die in their first month of life, and around two million more are stillborn. That means a preventable death occurs every seven seconds.
Innovation can play a key role in helping health systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, to address these challenges.
Innovation starts with inspiration
By taking part in clinical immersions in hospital wards in New Delhi, Opinde was able to gather first-hand experience of the realities that mothers face during labor and delivery.
It was during these clinical immersions that he participated in clinical observations and conducted interviews with healthcare professionals, including doctors specializing in caring for women during pregnancy and childbirth (obstetricians), and nurses. Through these interactions, he identified the challenge that needed to be addressed.
His work focuses on developing a practical, scalable medical technology that will allow mothers to access immediate care during labor and delivery, while enabling healthcare professionals to make informed decisions with timely interventions.
Fellow experiences the frontlines
Opinde’s experience on the hospital wards brought a new dimension to his engineering background. Confronted with the daily challenges that doctors and mothers face, he gained firsthand experience that guided his thinking about where innovation is most needed in order to contribute to practical, patient-centered care.
The opportunity to exchange experience, knowledge, ideas and innovation across continents – from Africa to Asia – while working alongside other innovators at IIT Delhi was a key source of inspiration in Peter’s pursuit of transformative health technologies.
Opinde’s story speaks to the many parallel tracks of work needed to deliver a successful technology: research, product development, clinical trials, ethical clearances, IP search and registration processes. It also demonstrates the need for diverse skillsets and multiple stakeholders to support the many inter-linked processes.
“It is amazing to be surrounded by the networks and individuals who have helped me to take a problem that I have seen first-hand and develop a solution that will make an impact on society”, Opinde notes, adding, “I would fully recommend this fellowship program to motivated persons who would wish to make change in the healthcare industry.”
“IIT Delhi is looking forward to supporting the fellows’ innovation journey. This partnership with WIPO brings together doctors and engineers from different parts of te world to co-develop innovative solutions that can be applied to health challenges across different countries”, says Dr. Deepak Joshi, Associate Professor, Centre for Biomedical Engineering, IIT Delhi.
IP is key to advancing the missionhen Opinde returns to Kenya in 2026, he plans to present his technology at conferences and events like Kenya Innovation Week, showcasing the innovation to potential users, investors and broader stakeholders. “IP will play a key role in the commercialization of the technology and its access to markets”, he notes.
Alongside the fellowship, Opinde has also honed his knowledge of IP. He is enrolled in courses offered by the WIPO Academy such as DL-001 Primer on Intellectual Property, DL-101 General Course on Intellectual Property, and DL-320 Basics of Patent Drafting, and will continue to work closely with WIPO as he further develops his IP strategy.
WIPO promotes innovation and creativity
The Global Health Unit at WIPO seeks to raise awareness and understanding of the linkages among global health, innovation, and access to medical technologies.
IP is being leveraged as a tool that contributes to meeting the world’s most pressing health needs, including those of women and children. Last year, WIPO’s Mission Imagination series interviewed three pioneering FemTech innovators – Josefa Cortes from Chile, Kemisola Bolarinwa from Nigeria and Ida Tin from Denmark, whose inventions – ranging from menstrual tracking apps to cutting-edge tools for early breast cancer detection – are tackling gender disparities and enhancing healthcare access.
About the WIPO Global Health Innovation Fellows
The WIPO Global Health Innovation Fellowship offers a unique opportunity for young researchers and entrepreneurs to work with the IIT Biodesign Program. Fellows have residency at the IIT campuses in New Delhi or Mumbai for two years. The next cohort is scheduled to commence in 2026.
About World Health Day
Since 1950, April 7 has been observed as World Health Day. It is a global initiative aimed at drawing attention to key issues affecting health and well-being around the world. Each year, it highlights a theme of critical importance to global public health. This year’s theme is maternal and newborn health.