Dr. Bertrand Graz and Mariana Veauvy conduct scientific research to make innovative and sustainable solutions for the most vulnerable populations. Their clinical studies have shown that local plants, hibiscus and kinkeliba, reduce high blood pressure. Another example is a cost-effective device which uses kitchen salt and water to produce disinfectant and drinking water. This innovative life-changing technology is useful for health centres and households, responding to the needs of local people. Dr Bertrand Graz, MD, MPH, has a doctorate in Medicine (with a thesis on traditional medicines for trachoma in the Sultanate of Oman), a master in public health/international health (John Hopkins University, Baltimore), and a certificate in tropical medicine (SwissTPH, Basel). He has practiced in public health and clinical medicine in Switzerland, India, China, Laos, Mauritania, Haïti, Guinea, Senegal and Mali. He now works for the Antenna Foundation in Geneva and studies whether some underused locally available therapeutic resources are effective and safe for the treatment of common diseases (in cooperation with universities, clinics and research Institutes in Geneva, Zurich, Saint-Louis, Southampton, …).
Mariana Veauvy is French and Brazilian. She holds a Master’s degree in Marine Biotechnology from the University of Nantes, France. After working with a start-up on micro-algae, she did technology transfers from research institutions to projects in countries in Asia, Africa, and South America. Mariana joined the Antenna Foundation in 2016. Initially, she was in charge of the New Technologies Unit and supervised water and nutrition projects in India, Ghana, Morocco, and Brazil. She is currently in charge of coordinating the foundation’s Executive Committee. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
