IntraHealth was founded in 1979 as the Intrah program at the UNC School of Medicine and incorporated as an independent nonprofit organization in 2003. The organization maintains close ties with UNC and partners with the Gillings School of Global Public Health on a summer fellowship program. IntraHealth receives support from many funders and donors, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and many individual contributors.
Nola’s connection to IntraHealth started just outside of an internship with a publishing company in Chapel Hill. With her MA in English, she quickly moved into communications work with IntraHealth, steadily taking on more
responsibility. In January of 2016,
Nola moved from her Communications Officer position to Development Officer. Under that title, she develops strategic plans for events, campaigns, and select programs that enhance organizational profile and invites support from individuals and corporations. SwitchPoint is a huge task on her “to do” list, but, it’s also work that brings enormous impact. According to the
Duke Global Health Institute, SwitchPoint is “a conference about creativity, partnership, and action. It’s where humanitarian innovation, global health, and technology collide. It focuses on unusual collaborations, spreading great ideas from around the world, and incubating yours.” Social Science Researchers/podcasters Nupoor Kulkarni and McCall Wells called the 2017 SwitchPoint a “haven for social good.” Others speak to the range of speakers and topics, such as behavioral economics and digital epidemiology to “artivism.” And, all seem enthralled by virtual reality microlabs and hands-on events meant to stir imagination, promote deep conversations, and lasting connections.
Creating such an enriching experience with people from around the world requires a lot of heads to get on the same page. Nola says that deciding the themes of the conference each year is a collaborative effort by members of the SwitchPoint team and IntraHealth’s senior leadership team. While four themes generally remain consistent each year (global health, tech4good,
humanitarian innovation, artivism) the four others are determined by trending issues in global development, issues brought to attention by field staff, and/or cutting-edge technologies and discoveries.
The future of SwitchPoint, says Nola “is being dictated by speakers and participants who are staying connected and creating new initiatives. We are exploring different avenues to sustain this momentum, including SwitchPoint seminars/sidebars, thematic forums, advocacy campaigns, sister conferences around the world, and a SwitchPoint fellows program. IntraHealth is also working on partnerships with public/private-sector organizations to expand the scope and scale of the gathering. Inspired by the tenets of human-centered design, IntraHealth gives priority to the perspectives of those on the front lines, who understand firsthand the real challenges facing global health and development.”
While it is well noted that SwitchPoint is a conference of significance, it is also a favorite for attendees; especially one who shared recently that her education program secured a funding commitment during a lunch conversation at the event. Perhaps, not an unusual happening. But, to balance the heavy work involved in bringing SwitchPoint to life each year, there are memories that bring lightness. Nola laughs about Jorge Odon, inventor of the medical device that carries his name, joking about how his early career was as an automobile mechanic. But, she’ll never forget how this inventor of a device that helps in birthing babies nuzzled her own infant son who was with her at the event. Sometimes, the work you do is paid in memories like this.