QF’s WISH Announces This Year’s Winning Innovators at 2024 Summit

DOHA, QATAR, November 18, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Ayya Azzahra of CervivAI from Indonesia and Neda Razavi of iSono Health from the US were announced as the two winners of Qatar Foundation’s World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) 2024 Innovation Competitions during the closing ceremony of its 2024 summit yesterday. Ayya Azzahra was successful in the Young Innovators [health startups led by founders aged 30 years and younger] category and Neda Razavi was successful in the Innovation Showcases [health startups that have moved beyond the ideation phase and have established their market presence within the past five years] category. The awards include cash prizes and mentoring sessions with leading industry experts.

The winners were chosen from 12 global healthcare innovators, who had earlier been shortlisted from more than 150 applicants, to showcase their innovations to global policymakers and healthcare leaders at this year’s summit.

Winner of the Young Innovators category is Ayya Azzahra for CervivAI, a company making early detection of cervical cancer accessible with AI-enhanced testing.

Winner in the Innovation Showcases category is Neda Razavi for iSono Health, a company that develops automated, AI-powered, 3D ultrasound solutions for breast cancer screening.

Commenting on their success, Neda Razavi of iSono Health said: “I’m so proud of this award as it authenticates the importance of early detection of cancers using automation, robotics AI and ultrasound and thus, saving lives, a priority of Qatar’s government.”

Dr Mutiara Auliya of CervivAI said “We have a company of six women, and we want to make our product cheaper, giving access for women living in rural areas.”

Ayya Azzahra added “I was inspired to work on this project after my friend became very depressed following the death of her mother, who simply could not get access to a gynecologist. After dropping out of medical school for financial reasons, I hope to resume my medical studies, but I don’t need to be a doctor to help people.”

The third member of the winning team, Karmila Putri Maulidya said “As the biomedical engineer I designed the product using 3D modelling.”

This year’s competition benefits from a being delivered in partnership with Qatar Research Development and Innovation Council (QRDI), a Qatari organization dedicated to advancing research, fostering global innovation collaborations and attracting global talent to the Gulf state.

The WISH Innovation program was launched in 2013 and has supported a total of 160 innovators from 41 different countries to date.

This year, WISH was opened in the presence of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation and founder of WISH. The opening ceremony, held at Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha, included speeches from Her Excellency Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Qatar’s former Minister of Public Health; Lord Darzi of Denham, Executive Chair of WISH; and Christos Christou, President of Médecins Sans Frontières.

The theme of WISH 2024 is ‘Humanizing Health: Conflict, Equity and Resilience’. It aims to highlight the need for innovation in health to support everyone, leaving nobody behind and building resilience, especially among vulnerable societies and in areas of armed conflict.

Ahead of the summit, WISH entered into a strategic partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), collaborating on the development of a series of evidence-based reports and policy papers, as well as working with the United Nations’ health agency to develop a post-summit implementation strategy. 

The summit features more than 200 experts in health speaking about evidence-based ideas and practices in healthcare innovation to address the world’s most urgent global health challenges.

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Notes for editors

About the World Innovation Summit for Health
The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) is a global healthcare community dedicated to capturing and disseminating the best evidence-based ideas and practices. WISH is an initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) and is under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, its Chairperson. The inaugural WISH Summit took place in Doha in 2013 and convened more than 1,000 global healthcare leaders. Through international summits and a range of ongoing initiatives, WISH is creating a global community of leading innovators in healthcare policy, research, and industry. Together, they are harnessing the power of innovation to overcome the world’s most urgent healthcare challenges and inspire other stakeholders to action.

Qatar Foundation – Unlocking Human Potential
Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) is a non-profit organization that supports Qatar on its journey to becoming a diversified and sustainable economy. QF strives to serve the people of Qatar and beyond by providing specialized programs across its innovation-focused ecosystem of education, research and development, and community development. QF was founded in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Amir, and Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, who shared the vision to provide Qatar with quality education. Today, QF’s world-class education system offers lifelong learning opportunities to community members as young as six months through to doctoral level, enabling graduates to thrive in a global environment and contribute to the nation’s development. QF is also creating a multidisciplinary innovation hub in Qatar, where homegrown researchers are working to address local and global challenges. By promoting a culture of lifelong learning and fostering social engagement through programs that embody Qatari culture, QF is committed to empowering the local community and contributing to a better world for all. For a complete list of QF’s initiatives and projects, please visit: www.qf.org.qa.

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Media Contacts:
For any media inquiries about Qatar Foundation, please contact: pressoffice@qf.org.qa

For any media enquiries about this press release or WISH, please contact: WISH@saycomms.co.uk

Julia de Ocampo
Say Communications
jdocampo@saycomms.co.uk