mHealth Alliance

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The mHealth Alliance is dedicated to enabling the delivery of quality health to the farthest reaches of wireless networks in the developing world. Its mission: to catalyze and accelerate the emerging field of mobile health (mHealth) and help move the needle in global efforts to reach the health-related UN Millennium Development Goals of reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

Launched at the GSM Mobile World Congress in February 2009 by the Rockefeller Foundation, United Nations Foundation, and Vodafone Foundation, the Alliance now includes the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) among its founding partners.

The idea for the mHealth Alliance emanated from a July 2008 conference on the future of mHealth, during which participants committed to forming a non-profit mHealth Alliance to maximize the impact of mobile health, especially in emerging economies.

The Alliance acts as an umbrella organization to complement, draw together, and expand upon the mHealth initiatives of multiple organizations around the world by creating research, filling gaps, making connections, and forging public-private partnerships in support of innovation and projects that address global health needs.

The mHealth Moment

Today there are  approximately 5 billion mobile devices in use around the world -- and close to two-thirds of them are in the hands of people living in emerging market economies. Mobile phones have the ability to dramatically change the lives of those who use them, including healthcare providers.

mHealth -- the use of mobile devices in health solutions -- is revolutionizing healthcare delivery in much of the developing world. Innovative mHealth projects are powering the collection of health data, supporting diagnosis and treatment, and advancing education and research in even the most remote and resource-poor environments.

The mHealth Challenge

The UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set out clear and ambitious targets for reducing child and maternal mortality worldwide. But a growing shortage of healthcare workers and other economic and environmental trends have made elevation of life expectancy rates a challenge.

The MDGs also call for dynamic public-private partnerships to help tackle obstacles to international development. Through new alliances and the widespread availability of mobile technologies, the field of mHealth has enormous potential to leverage health innovation and improve healthcare delivery worldwide.

mHealth Alliance Activity

In keeping with the rapid evolution of the mHealth industry, the Alliance will maintain a broad vision. Its initial activity will focus on thought leadership, global advocacy and collaboration, and implementation. The Alliance will provide:

• Thought leadership to the mHealth sector through: rigorous market research on the size and dynamics of the global mHealth market; presenting the "opportunity for mHealth" by commissioning white papers; undertaking regional conferences and impact studies; and consulting.

• Global advocacy and collaboration in the areas of policies, regulations, interoperability, best practices, and support of relevant mobile and related health standards.

• Partnership for selective implementations in areas such as project design and support, project funding, and driving the public-private collaboration necessary for successful mHealth projects to be nationally and regionally scaled.

The mHealth Alliance and You

The mHealth Alliance will engage organizations, donors, members, affiliates, and project partners from the public, NGO, academic, and private sectors. For more information, subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter, mPulse, by sending a subscription request to info@mhealthalliance.org. You can also visit us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.