PATH started in Seattle almost 50 years ago with a clear purpose: to make sure lifesaving innovations reach the people who need them most. Sponsored by PATH.
SEATTLE — Seattle‑based PATH is spotlighting a series of low‑cost, lifesaving health innovations aimed at improving care for women and families in some of the world’s most underserved communities.
Jessica Millman and Clara Orndorff discussed the challenges women face worldwide and the tools PATH is developing to improve care in low‑resource settings.
“About 50 years ago, there was a small group of local scientists who realized that there was a large gap in access to appropriate technologies in health care, innovations in people who live in low resource settings. So, they started PATH, and our mission is to ensure that lifesaving technologies reach the people who need them most,” said Jessica Millman from PATH.
Today, the organization works in about 70 countries and improves the lives of roughly 64 million people every year.
PATH focuses on three main areas: developing affordable health technologies, strengthening health systems, and supporting policies that improve care.
“I work in our product development lab, where we have the ability to do medical device and health technology design all the way from idea to market,” said Clara Orndorff from PATH. “And I also have coworkers who work in our bio lab who do work developing and testing new diagnostic and vaccine technologies.”
Millman added that nearly 4 billion people lack access to basic care, a reality that drives PATH’s mission to turn innovation into real‑world impact.
“A great example of that is the work that we’ve been doing on malaria. malaria causes 280 million cases and 600,000 deaths every year,” Millman said. “We worked with partners to help develop the very first malaria vaccine, and that’s now being deployed in countries across Africa.”
But vaccines only work if they reach remote communities, which is why PATH also develops technologies to keep vaccines at safe temperatures during transport. The organization is additionally working on a microarray patch that is kind of like a Band‑Aid that can deliver vaccines without refrigeration and is easier to administer.
Women and girls are disproportionately affected by limited access to care.
“Globally, women actually spend 25% more of their time in poor health, but only about 1% of health research funding is focused on women. So at PATH we’re working to develop tools and services that can really benefit women,” Millman said.
PATH is developing tools aimed at improving maternal and child health, including vaccines for RSV and Group B strep that could be given during pregnancy.
“Many of those like hepatitis B, Group B, strep, HIV and syphilis can actually be addressed either by vaccinating the mothers during pregnancy or by ensuring that they get the appropriate screening and treatment,” Millman said.
Orndorff showcased three PATH‑supported technologies designed to save lives and improve health outcomes.
The first, a uterine balloon tamponade, addresses severe bleeding—the leading cause of maternal death.
She also demonstrated a small purple sticker that changes color based on heat exposure, helping health workers determine whether vaccines have remained cold enough to be safe.
The final item was a bag of fortified rice.
“About half of the grains of rice are actually a mixture of rice flour with essential nutrients like iron and zinc,” Orndorff said. “So it’s a fortified rice blend that PATH helped bring to market. And by mixing in these nutrients with locally milled rice, it’s this really simple way to get people, proper nourishment without really changing the way that people have to cook and eat.”