Podcast
High-Impact Growth
Hosted by Dimagi · EN
A podcast for social entrepreneurs, global development funders, nonprofit leaders and anyone grappling with the challenge of how to build solutions that are both immensely impactful and also achieve high-growth. Join Dimagi CEO and co-founder, Jonathan Jackson, along with co-host Amie Vaccaro as we unpack learnings from 20 years building digital solutions for global health and development, explore barriers to and opportunities for high-impact growth, and speak with industry leaders from around the world.
Find us at: https://dimagi.com/podcast/
27episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Improving Health Worker Jobs to Improve Outcomes with CommCare Connect
Sep 13, 202401:02:16Summary readyIn 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 additional work. By doing so, CommCare Connect seeks to address some of the biggest challenges in the global health space, such as the underpayment and disempowerment of CHWs and funding wasted on digital tools that don’t survive the project’s end, while driving better health outcomes globally. Throughout the conversation, Dimagi team members Mercy Simiyu, Sarvesh Tewari, and Dhivya Sivaramakrishnan, share insights from their direct work on CommCare Connect and with locally led organizations and CHWs across various regions, including Kenya and Malawi. They provide an in-depth look at how CommCare Connect has evolved over the past two years and reflect on early success stories, challenges, and lessons learned. During this conversation we unpack the four pillars of CommCare Connect’s technology: Learn: CHWs acquire new skills through digital learning modules. Deliver: CHWs are able to provide health services in their communities, equipped with the right job aids. Verify: Their service delivery is digitally verified in real-time. Pay: CHWs are compensated fairly for the work they opt into. Show Notes: CommCare Connect year in review 2023 CommCare Connect public overview CommCare Connect reaches 100,000 services delivered CommCare Connect Child Health Campaign RFP (now closed) For inquiries, ideas or information on how you can get involved please reach out to: bgeoffroy@dimagi.com Sign up to our newsletter, and stay informed of Dimagi’s work We are on social media - follow us for the latest from Dimagi: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube If you enjoy this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends. Hosts: Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro
SummaryFinancing Community Health Programs with Africa Frontline First
Aug 29, 202400:51:28Summary readyIn 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 primary health services door-to-door even in the hardest to reach communities, are an essential part of the solution. But financing remains the primary challenge to scale and sustain community health worker programs, despite a 10:1 return on investment. Today’s conversation centers on the ways that Africa Frontline First, a partnership from the Community Health Impact Coalition, the Financing Alliance for Health, and Last Mile Health, is working to make financing more available and effective for these life-saving programs, as well as the role of technology in accelerating impact. Show Notes: Africa Frontline First Website Africa CDC Community Health Reform Cycle Reaching the Last Mile commitment that was the outcome of the process discussed of “listening to aligning to committing” US $100M Africa Frontline First Catalytic Fund launch AFF partner, Living Goods, supported the launch of new Community Health strategy in Burkina Faso Sign up to our newsletter, and stay informed of Dimagi’s work We are on social media - follow us for the latest from Dimagi: LinkedIn, X, Facebook, YouTube If you enjoy this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends. Hosts: Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro
SummaryBuilding Tech Products that Matter in a Broken Market
Aug 15, 202400:47:11Summary readyDr. 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 donor funds on digital health so that we can build tech products for global health that matter? In this conversation, Gillian, Kelly and Jonathan each share their approaches to maintaining focus on solving problems and creating value for the digital health user across CommCare, SureAdhere and CommCare Connect. Topics include: The dual challenge of increasing security demands and increasingly limited funding The lag in procurement maturity compared to technological advancements, and the importance of creating must-have, high-value products. What it takes to shift from donor-driven to user-focused development Dimagi’s ability and strategic position to lead this shift The need for better market education to support a healthier market for tech products in global health and development Show Notes: Is Aid Killing The Startup Ecosystem In Africa? (Part 1) https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/aid-killing-startup-ecosystem-africa-part-1-david-chen-mgi8e Is Aid Killing the African Startup Ecosystem? (Part 2) https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/aid-killing-african-startup-ecosystem-part-2-david-chen-ovp4e Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Aid-Working-Better-Africa/dp/0374532125 CommCare connect year in review: https://dimagi.com/commcare-connect-2023/ CommCare Connect reaches a milestone of 100,000 service deliveries: https://dimagi.com/commcare-connect-reaches-100000-deliveries/ CommCare webpage: https://dimagi.com/commcare/ Sureadhere webpage: https://dimagi.com/sureadhere/ Steele Foundation for Hope: https://www.steelefoundationforhope.org/
SummaryHarnessing Somatic Intelligence: Tools and Practices for Leading in Uncertainty
Jul 23, 202401:02:56Summary readyJayson 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 and using tools like the Enneagram and self-compassion to support leadership. The discussion emphasizes how somatic awareness can help leaders manage stress, build trust and presence, and lead teams through complex challenges. Jonathan and Amie share their experiences with incorporating somatic techniques into their leadership styles, illustrating the shift from performance-driven to capacity building. This episode is packed with tools and techniques, drawing from somatics and a wide range of powerful frameworks to help each of us lead positive change. Related Resources: Jayson Morris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayson-morris/ Jayson Morris coaching website: www.withinsight.coach Brene Brown Amy Edmondson | Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management Self-Compassion by Kristen Neff Locating Yourself - A Key to Conscious Leadership Tara Brach | Meditation, Emotional Healing, and Spiritual Awakening Jack Kornfield | Buddhist Monk Sharon Salzberg | Meditation Pioneer Positive Intelligence | Saboteurs Test Inside Out 2 Sign up to our newsletter, and stay informed of Dimagi’s work We are on social media - follow us for the latest from Dimagi: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube If you enjoy this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends. Hosts: Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro
SummaryWhat’s New in AI: Equity-enhancing use cases and Open Chat Studio
Jun 13, 202400:43:55Summary readyIn 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's focus on equitable AI through direct-to-client work, how AI can support health workers, and Dimagi’s new bot building and testing platform, Open Chat Studio. Discussion points: AI Evolution: Exploring the rapid advancements in AI models and technologies Dimagi's AI Projects: Insights into Dimagi's current AI initiatives and their goals Generative AI in Healthcare: Practical applications and benefits for healthcare workers and clients Equitable AI Deployment: Strategies to ensure AI technology is accessible to all Open Chat Studio: Introduction to Dimagi's platform for developing and testing chatbots Language Accessibility: Challenges and progress in LLM’s support for low-resource language
SummarySystem Catalysts: Why are Thousands of Donated Organs Thrown Away Each Year?
May 22, 202400:28:39Summary readyToday 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. --- 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 deaths daily. Thankfully, our guests today – Greg Segal of Organize and Jennifer Erickson of Federation of American Scientists – tell us about how they discovered the hidden problem in organ donation and how they’re going to fix it. If you want to learn more about Organize, visit organize.org. Find more episodes at System Catalysts: https://www.systemcatalysts.com/episodes System Catalysts is produced by Hueman Group Media. --- Sign up to our newsletter, and stay informed of Dimagi’s work We are on social media - follow us for the latest from Dimagi: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube If you enjoy this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends. Hosts: Jonathan Jackson and Amie Vaccaro
Summary
Building a Partner Ecosystem & Subverting the Hubris of Aid with Rowena Luk (Exponential Growth part 2)
Jun 22, 2022Tap to summarizeCentral to Dimagi's strategy of sustaining exponential growth is building and scaling a thriving partner ecosystem, a community of local developers and implementers that can create content, build applications and drive innovations with CommCare to suit specific localized needs. In today's episode we talk to Rowena Luk, Dimagi's Chief Connector, about the role of partnerships in creating high-impact growth. You'll learn about Rowena's journey to global digital health, including how a Canadian physician working in Ghana convinced her of the need for technology to improve healthcare in Africa. She discusses what it was like being one of the first female hires at Dimagi, and why she left Dimagi for a sabbatical after 12 years. And we dig into what brought her back to Dimagi - a desire to build out the technology ecosystem in Africa. Rowena shares how the partner ecosystem can help topple what she calls the hubris of aid: "The hubris of aid is believing that we can help people better than they can help themselves. And that's not a mistake that we're making. There are people in these communities that understand agriculture that understand finance and understand health and malaria and HIV so much better than we do and can speak to the communities we serve so much better than we can. And being able to open up this ecosystem of partners is how we unlock the potential for these communities to lift themselves out of poverty." Even though investing in partner companies could be directly in competition with Dimagi, Jonathan shares why he was eager to do this: "We've always believed the communities have the answers and that we could be great at providing the digital infrastructure. But the solution itself would always be locally driven."
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