tragedy of easy problems

tragedy of easy problems

easy problems

easy problems

easy problems have solutions:

easy problems have solutions:

economically feasibletechnically effectivelogistically scalable

easy problems are everywhere:

cataract blindnessdiarrheal diseasechildhood vaccinationand more…

cataract blindness

cataract blindness

Nearly 40 million people in the world are blind.

Cataracts are the world’s leading cause of blindness, affecting almost 20 million people.

The backlog is growing.

cataract blindness

Nearly 40 million people in the world are blind.

Cataracts are the world’s leading cause of blindness, affecting almost 20 million people.

The backlog is growing.

cataract blindness

Nearly 40 million people in the world are blind.

Cataracts are the world’s leading cause of blindness, affecting almost 20 million people.

The backlog is growing.

cataract blindness

Nearly 40 million people in the world are blind.

Cataracts are the world’s leading cause of blindness, affecting almost 20 million people.

The backlog is growing.

cataract blindness

Nearly 40 million people in the world are blind.

Cataracts are the world’s leading cause of blindness, affecting almost 20 million people.

The backlog is growing.

There is a fast, cheap, and highly successful surgery.

But what are cataracts?

A cataract is an opacification of the eye’s lens that causes blindness.

It is treated by the removal of the lens and replacement withan intraocular lens (IOL).

An innovative model

High throughput: Thousands of free surgeries performedHigh quality:Small Incision Cataract Surgery with IOLLow price:Cost per surgery is $15-$20Sustainable:Paying patients subsidize costs for free patients

A little history

This model was pioneered by Govindappa Venkataswamy at the Aravind Eye Hospital

Emerged from the eye camps run by South Indian ophthalmologists

Sought to bring to eye care what McDonald’s brought to hamburgers: Scale, efficiency

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Other easy problems

A promising legacy: Smallpox, Rinderpest

The next big things: Polio, guinea worm

Seizing opportunities: Diarrheal disease

Innovating to easy: Malaria

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are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Other easy problems

A promising legacy: Smallpox, Rinderpest

The next big things: Polio, guinea worm

Seizing opportunities: Diarrheal disease

Innovating to easy: Malaria

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Other easy problems

A promising legacy: Smallpox, Rinderpest

The next big things: Polio, guinea worm

Seizing opportunities: Diarrheal disease

Innovating to easy: Malaria

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Other easy problems

A promising legacy: Smallpox, Rinderpest

The next big things: Polio, guinea worm

Seizing opportunities: Diarrheal disease

Innovating to easy: Malaria

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Why do we fail to address easy problems?

The perception problem

The mission problem

Doing what works: The incentive triangle

community’s desires worker’s desires

opportunity

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What happens when we fail?

My own venture, CatarACT International, failed.

What did we learn?

How do we succeed well and fail well?

We have to get the most out of every stage.

How do we succeed well and fail well?

We have to get the most out of every stage.

We can with a process- oriented approach to identify new ideas and bringthem to scale.

How do we succeed well and fail well?

We have to get the most out of every stage.

A development research to action group.

How do we succeed well and fail well?

We have to get the most out of every stage.

Think broadly.Realize specifically.Yield sustainably.

Acknowledgements

•Dr. V. Panneerselvam & Dr. Michael Gyasi•The whole CatarACT team, especially Yuna Rapoport,Nick Naroditski, Amar Vira, Ashwin Anandani, YameiLiu, Chris Yim, Gokul Kumar, Hema Ramkumar, TanayDudhela, and Neha Malhotra.•Shivan Sivakumar•Leila Wilmers (TRYcycle)

Personal funding:•Northwestern University Medical Scientist Training Program•Fulbright Scholarship•St John’s College, Cambridge, Benefactors Scholarship

CatarACT funding:•Northwestern University and private donors