Jhpiego and Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation & Design (CBID) Selected as Finalist for 2015 INDEX: Award

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Aug 25, 2015, 11:07 ET

BALTIMORE, Aug. 25, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The partnership of Jhpiego, a nonprofit global health affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, and the Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation & Design (CBID) has been selected as a finalist for the 2015 INDEX: Award for its design of a new, improved suit to protect health workers fighting Ebola and other infectious diseases.

The award, worth $150,000, is the world's preeminent prize to inspire and reward top innovators and designs that improve lives. Nominated in the Body award category for its personal protective suit, Jhpiego and CBID are among 46 finalists chosen from 1,123 nominations. Winners will be announced August 27, 2015 in Denmark.

The team designed the suit during an October 2014, weekend-long hackathon in response to the need for improved personal protective equipment during the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa, which killed more than 500 health workers. The suit design has elements to keep the wearer more comfortable and reduce the risk of coming in contact with infectious fluids during treatment and while removing the suit.

"As technical leaders in infection prevention and control and experts in building a skilled global health workforce, we are incredibly proud of the suit and its potential to save the lives of health professionals around the globe," said Leslie Mancuso, President and CEO of Jhpiego.

Youseph Yazdi, Executive Director of CBID and professor in the Johns Hopkins University Department of Biomedical Engineering, agrees. "It has truly been a privilege and labor of love for CBID to work with great partners like Jhpiego and Clinvue to design something that addresses such a great need."

About Jhpiego

Jhpiego is a global, non-profit and affiliate of Johns Hopkins University. For over 40 years, Jhpiego has designed and implemented effective, low-cost solutions to strengthen the delivery of health care services for women and families. Visit http://www.jhpiego.org.

About Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation & Design (CBID)

CBID has a dual mission of education and innovation, both focused on designing solutions to pressing health challenges. The program runs roughly 20 health care innovation teams annually and educates over 100 students to become effective health care problem solvers. Visit CBID.bme.jhu.edu.

SOURCE Jhpiego