Reciprocal innovation: A new approach to equitable and mutually beneficial global health partnerships

Abstract

Global health researchers often discount mutual learning and benefit to address shared health challenges across high and low- and middle-income settings. Drawing from a 30-year partnership called AMPATH that started between Indiana University in the US and Moi University in Kenya, we describe an innovative approach and program for mutual learning and benefit coined 'reciprocal innovation.' Reciprocal innovation harnesses a bidirectional, co-constituted, and iterative exchange of ideas, resources, and innovations to address shared health challenges across diverse global settings. The success of AMPATH in Kenya, particularly in HIV/AIDS and community health, resulted in several innovations being 'brought back' to the US. To promote the bidirectional flow of learning and innovations, the Indiana CTSI reciprocal innovation program hosts annual meetings of multinational researchers and practitioners to identify shared health challenges, supports pilot grants for projects with reciprocal exchange and benefit, and produces educational and training materials for investigators. The transformative power of global health to address systemic health inequities embraces equitable and reciprocal partnerships with mutual benefit across countries and communities of academics, practitioners, and policymakers. Leveraging a long-standing partnership, the Indiana CTSI has built a reciprocal innovation program with promise to redefine global health for shared wellbeing at a global scale.

Keywords: Reciprocal innovation; global health; global learning; global local‌; mutual benefit.

Figure 1

notes: Reciprocal innovation model. Our ‘reciprocal innovation’ model in global health starts by engaging key US and international partners in a bidirectional process that identifies and prioritizes the health challenges to be addressed and leads to delivering solutions through co-development of healthcare innovation and exchange of information.

Figure 2

notes: The Indiana CTSI process for identifying priority areas of opportunities for Reciprocal Innovation supported through Planning and Demonstration Grants. In the first step of the process stakeholders are identified through an “environmental scan” that includes both “local” and “global” partners. This is followed by a Stakeholders Meeting whereby shared healthcare priority areas are identified. This allows for the convergence of local and global partner priorities that are then used to inform a competitive Reciprocal Innovation grants program funded by the Indiana CTSI.