Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (Path)

“The form 990 was prepared by an outside accounting firm using information provided by path accounting services staff. Path senior management reviewed the draft form. A copy of the 990 was sent to the board of directors for comment. After the comment period, the president/ceo signed the return.”

“Board members, path management, and all staff above a designated level in the organization must complete a conflict of interest disclosure form each year. All forms are reviewed and kept on file. A conflict management plan is developed for any employee with a significant actual or perceived conflict of interest.”

“The board's executive compensation committee annually reviews salary and benefits for executive employee positions and provides guidance to the ceo on compensation decisions for executive positions. The compensation and benefits for path's president and ceo are reviewed and approved by the entire board of directors each year at the december board meeting. Path routinely uses the services of external firms to assess and benchmark executive compensation (president/ceo, vice presidents, and executive team members). The last major review was completed in 2014, when path engaged mercer (a compensation, benefits, and human resources consulting firm) to review current and proposed base salaries of path's president/ceo, vice presidents, and executive team members. Mercer used data from multiple sources to evaluate current and proposed base salaries for these positions. The board's executive compensation committee reviewed the mercer report and approved the compensation packages for the vice presidents and executive team. Additionally, mercer reviewed the proposed total compensation and benefit package for the president/ceo position and obtained a significant number of data points to ascertain its reasonableness and appropriateness. The board approved the committee's recommendation for the president/ceo's total compensation package.”

“Path makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available to the public upon request; most documents are also available online.”

“Path is the leader in global health innovation. An international nonprofit organization, we save lives and improve health, especially among women and children. We accelerate innovation across five platforms-vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, devices, and system and service innovations-that harness our entrepreneurial insight, scientific and public health expertise, and passion for health equity. By mobilizing partners around the world, we take innovation to scale, working alongside countries primarily in africa and asia to tackle their greatest health needs. Together, we deliver measurable results that disrupt the cycle of poor health. Our robust monitoring and evaluation is integral to these efforts. At every stage, we assess and align our progress against project, funder, and organizational targets, and evaluate opportunities to increase our efficinecy and impact. In 2014, path and our partners and supporters reached more than 160 million people with lifesaving health solutions. Our funders and collaborators from across the public, private, and corporate sectors are pivotal to our success. Their contributions support our wide-reaching work to accelerate innovation to save lives and improve health worldwide.”

“In a key 2014 milestone, we launched an affordable, easy-to-use diagnostic test that can quickly detect previous exposure to the parasite that causes river blindness (onchocerciasis). The test is fast, accurate, and tailored for use in the poor rural communities where the disease is most common. Path has worked with partners since 2010 to develop the test and bring it to market. We tested and refined the diagnostic, conducted laboratory and field evaluations, identified the manufacturer, and helped ensure the product met quality and performance requirements. The test represents the first in a suite of diagnostics aimed at eliminating neglected tropical diseases, a group of illnesses that affect more than 1 billion people worldwide. In 2014, the first 15,000 tests were shipped to nigeria and togo for use in demonstration studies, laying the groundwork for further expansion in 2015. We are also expanding our work to bring to market a new dual-detection test for both river blindness and lymphatic filariasis, a disease that causes disfigurement and disability and often affects the same communities as river blindness. And we are leveraging our expertise and global network of partners to speed development of additional diagnostic tools for neglected tropical diseases. Finally, we are pioneering the use of diagnostics for malaria elimination. We are improving access to available tests while developing new options that provide access to proper treatment and that can detect low levels of malaria infection that might otherwise be missed. In 2014, we increased the use of high-quality malaria diagnosis and treatment in 15 countries in africa and the mekong region. Our digital health solutions group continued to work with global health stakeholders to identify, adapt, and implement information and communications technologies products, policies, and processes to encourage better data use and decision-making and improve health. Accomplishments in 2014 included serving as a lead partner in the better immunization data initiative and working with tanzania's ministry of health; gavi, the vaccine alliance; and other partners to introduce an inexpensive, easy-to-use, and reliable barcode technology into the national logistics management system for vaccines and other supplies. We also worked closely with vaccine manufacturers to update the barcodes used on vaccine packaging. Our vision is that in five years every country will be able to track products from manufacturer to recipient, identify and predict stockouts, and ensure that the right goods are in place to deliver lifesaving health impact.”

“The five-year window of opportunity project (2011-2016) continued to improve maternal, newborn, and child health (mnch) and development in five districts in south africa and mozambique. Among other 2014 highlights, we continued work to develop national mnch nutrition strategies and supported progress toward a new national early childhood development policy. At the district level, we strengthened collaborations between stakeholders; improved data management and use; engaged communities to improve health; and provided support and technical assistance to more than 40 community-based organizations. So far, the project has trained thousands of health and development professionals in mnch and provided education and assistance to tens of thousands of households. To date, our efforts have increased women receiving early antenatal care over starting numbers in participating areas, and more children are exclusively breastfed at 14 weeks of age, decreasing the burden of life-threatening diarrhea. We also continued our bold portfolio of early childhood development efforts, which help to ensure that more children receive the stimulation (from conversation to simple toys) that helps their minds develop to their full potential. In 2014, we built on momentum and lessons learned from prior efforts to expand our work in kenya and mozambique. The maximising the quality of scaling up nutrition project supported more than 20 projects to address undernutrition in 17 focus countries. The path-led consortium is improving health and nutrition by strengthening government and national policies; scaling up proven interventions, such as food supplementation and fortification; and integrating systemic changes, such as agricultural and water and sanitation improvements, into existing programs. Our projecting health project also made strides. Getting people to change their habits in favor of healthier behaviors is one of the biggest challenges in global health. Projecting health empowers local community members to produce, edit, and star in health education videos customized for local contexts and dialects. With a low-cost, portable projector and a white sheet for a screen, the videos are reaching remote communities in ethiopia and india with accurate information on breastfeeding, immunization, childbirth, and more.”