Guyana: Guyana-born American A.I. biotech innovator’s foundation to spearhead mobile community disease detection

Dr. Niven Narain, a Guyana-born American biotech innovator, has announced the establishment of a women’s health foundation in both Guyana and the United States. The foundation aims to introduce mobile community and workplace testing to facilitate early disease detection. Dr. Narain, who was recently honored as a Joint Science & Technology Laureate of the Anthony N Sabga Awards for Caribbean Excellence, expressed his commitment to this initiative by dedicating the funds received from the award, amounting to US$35,000, to the Rukhminia Latchman Foundation for Women’s Health. He emphasized the importance of improving access to essential care for women, honoring his grandmother in this endeavor.

During the award ceremony, A. Norman Sabga, Executive Chairman of the AnsaMcAl Group of Companies, pledged to match Dr. Narain’s initial contribution to the foundation. Dr. Narain indicated that the foundation would eventually expand to other Caribbean nations as additional funding becomes available. The first initiative, termed “women’s health on wheels,” aims to provide medical services directly to working mothers, particularly single mothers, ensuring they do not have to choose between their health and their livelihood.

Dr. Narain has already engaged in discussions with Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony regarding the development of mobile units capable of performing basic medical tests such as blood draws, pap smears, urine tests, and breast examinations. The collected data will be integrated into a technological system to facilitate early cancer detection. He highlighted the concerning trend of young women and children in Guyana succumbing to breast cancer, contrasting it with older populations in the United States.

Dr. Narain noted that working women often struggle to find time for medical appointments, and the mobile testing centers aim to address this gap by bringing services directly to workplaces. He stated, “Let’s go to the workplaces at least for them to have a first pass of telling them ‘you know something looks a little off, go see a doctor.’” Dr. Narain is recognized for his contributions to drug discovery, having developed a platform powered by Artificial Intelligence that has resulted in numerous patents and scientific publications. He emphasized the need for responsible governance in the application of AI in healthcare.

Other awardees at the ceremony included visual artist Sheena Rose from Barbados, telecoms entrepreneur Dean Nevers from Jamaica, social activist Shamelle Rice from Barbados, and climate scientist Professor Tannecia Stephenson from Jamaica. Each winner in their respective categories received a cash award equivalent to US$70,000, with Dr. Narain sharing the Science & Technology award with Professor Stephenson.

Source: demerarawaves.com