GENEVA, 22nd May, 2026 (WAM) — Future Health, a global initiative by Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with MIT Solve, has announced the winners of the inaugural Future Health Challenge: Building Anticipatory Health Systems through Population Sensing, following a live global pitching session at a Future Health-hosted event on the sidelines of the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva.
The announcement marks a key milestone in Abu Dhabi’s efforts to accelerate a global shift towards more predictive and inclusive health systems worldwide.
Having received 393 submissions across 68 countries, the Challenge reflects growing global alignment with the emirate’s vision for more anticipatory, prevention-focused models of care, supported by data and technology for stronger population health insight.
The winning teams were recognised for technology-driven solutions that use data to detect health risks earlier, supporting faster and better-informed decision-making across health systems:
● ThinkMD, Australia
US$200,000, Winner
ThinkMD equips frontline health workers with mobile clinical decision-support tools that improve triage, treatment, and referral, while turning routine care encounters into real-time population health signals. The platform is already used by more than 9,000 frontline workers across 885 facilities, with the platform’s ability to act as an early warning system demonstrated through previously detected symptom patterns preceding a cholera outbreak in Zambia.
● Vector Control Innovations, United States
US$50,000, Distinguished Finalist
VectorCam uses AI-enabled mosquito surveillance to detect changing vector risks earlier, helping health systems target interventions before outbreaks escalate. Field evaluations of VectorCam’s impact have shown clear improvements in both efficiency and data quality, with evaluations showing data completeness increasing from around 60% to over 90%.
● Huna, Brazil
US$50,000, Distinguished Finalist
Huna applies AI to routine blood test data to identify people at elevated cancer risk earlier and guide them into appropriate screening and care pathways. In Brazil, its pilots have screened more than 500,000 patients, and across all deployments to date, hundreds of cancer cases have been detected, many of which would likely have been found later when treatment is more complex and expensive.
Delivered in collaboration with MIT Solve, the Future Health Challenge is part of Future Health’s year-round programme of activities designed to identify and champion high-potential talent globally, connecting innovators with funding, partnerships and pathways to scale solutions that advance longer, healthier lives.
Dr. Asma Al Mannaei, Executive Director of the Health and Life Sciences Sector at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi said, “Too often, health systems only detect risk once it has become illness, when treatment is more complex and outcomes are worse. The winning solution, ThinkMD, demonstrates how stronger frontline decision-making and real-time health insight can help systems identify and respond to risk earlier. The priority now is to test and scale solutions in real-world settings. The winning solutions represent a clear shift in how health systems are thinking about care, reflecting Abu Dhabi’s approach to building a more intelligent, data-driven health system that understands risk earlier and acts sooner.”
“Through Future Health, we are creating opportunities to share Abu Dhabi’s approach to anticipatory, data-driven healthcare with the world, and to ensure that global innovators have access to pathways to deliver real-world impact,” she added.
Hala Hanna, Executive Director of MIT Solve, said, “The solutions emerging from this Challenge reflect both the urgency and the opportunity facing health systems globally. By bringing innovators together with policymakers, funders and implementers through platforms such as Future Health, we can help accelerate solutions that are locally grounded and capable of delivering impact at scale.”
Dr. Jackie Rabec, Co-Founder of ThinkMD, said, “We are thrilled to be the recipients of this award, and we are excited to be able to use it to scale our impact. Our next stage of growth will be expanding in priority markets across Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda and Somalia, validate our next generation multimodal conversational interface and furthering our self-care product to deliver health intelligence into the hands of citizens”.
Future Health – A Global Initiative by Abu Dhabi convenes stakeholders across innovation, policy and investment to advance collaboration and support the development and scaling of solutions that improve health outcomes worldwide. Through this platform, Abu Dhabi continues to strengthen its role in enabling global partnerships and supporting the development and scaling of solutions that improve health outcomes worldwide.
Representatives from finalist, semi-finalist and selected Honourable Mention teams will also be invited to showcase their innovations at the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit, taking place from 20th to 22nd October 2026. The Summit will provide a platform for teams to connect with global policymakers, investors and health leaders, supporting the next phase of development and adoption.
