Jacaranda Health (jacarandahealth.org)
is a nonprofit organization looking to change the way that maternal
healthcare is provided in Africa. We are building a chain of maternity
clinics providing world-class care to low-income women in Kenya. These
women have poor options for seeking care during pregnancy, and their
likelihood of dying while giving birth is a hundred times higher than it
is in Europe and the US. Jacaranda is bringing together the best
clinical and technology innovations from around the world to help
improve health outcomes in our clinics.
We think an Android tablet can play a critical role in
improving care by allowing nurses to track vital signs more effectively
and make split-second decisions. We’re seeking a skilled developer to
help with a project on the cutting edge of maternal health, which has
the potential to impact millions of women.
At the core of the project is an electronic version of a
simple paper tool called the partograph, which maps the progress of
women’s labor, and helps nurses identify when to refer patients for
emergency c-section. We want to create an Android version of the
partograph, which will improve the functionality and usability of this
important tool, and ideally launch it with our new clinic in April.
We are seeking an Android developer confident and
experienced enough to design an application that nurses can master
easily and we can maintain with little expertise. The developer can be
based in the US or Kenya, and the project will involve these
responsibilities:
• Collaborating with our clinical advisors at Harvard and
in Kenya to sketch out the functionality and user interface of the
application.
• Software design, implementation, and debugging
• Communicating with nurses to fine tune software in a clinical setting, e.g. during regular deliveries and emergencies.
• Assistance with selecting the most appropriate tablet to run it on in our clinics.
•
Some strategic work helping us think through our other needs, such
Android data entry for community health workers in the field, triage of
new patients, etc.
Desired Applicant Skills:
• Experience developing on Android or other mobile platforms.
• Working knowledge of Java and OOP best practices.
• Writes clean, well-documented code that can be easily maintained.
• Ability to create a simple and intuitive UI for use by local nurses.
• Experience walking a product through the entire design, development and launch strongly preferred.
We
imagine this as a two- to three-month full-time commitment, although we
can be flexible with the right person. It is volunteer position, but we
can provide a stipend to help with living expenses. The benefits:
• An opportunity to apply your skills and creativity to have a direct impact on women and children.
• Good exposure to the world of healthcare and social enterprise in Africa.
• Your software will be put to use saving lives immediately.
• If we can demonstrate success with it, there will be interest from the
global health and the “IT for development” communities – and a chance
for recognition for this work.
To apply, please send a note and resume to
jobs@jacarandahealth.org, and mention “Android” in the subject line. Links to relevant past projects and code samples are also welcome.
--
Nick Pearson
Jacaranda Health
+254 (0) 716 534 294