Miguel Castillo
Digital Health Advisor
Background
I have over 10 years of experience in the health sector, primarily focusing on humanitarian and public health work. After beginning my career as a pediatric nurse in France, I shifted towards technical and programmatic roles within the humanitarian health field, which granted me a solid understanding of health systems in both conventional and challenging settings. Working in multiple countries, I have been responsible for developing health strategies, writing proposals, and coordinating with various departments such as logistics, human resources, and advocacy. I have also engaged in integrating digital health solutions into the programs I managed, which brought me into the digital health field, the sector in which I now work. Concretely, I currently work in a project that focuses on developing digital solutions to support immunization campaigns in under-developed settings.
Where are you focusing your energy right now?
Currently, my main priority is to strike a harmonious balance between my family life and professional endeavors. I am determined to allocate ample time to the people I cherish, while concurrently progressing and growing in my career and my current job, in the digital health environment. Nevertheless, throughout this journey, I am also committed to taking care of my physical and mental well-being, to ensure sustainable success in both aspects of my life.
What stood out from your Basecamp Health experience?
I highly value the learning method and the meticulous attention that the Systems Change team invests in nurturing the process of teaching. The content and tools provided throughout the base camp are both captivating and exceptionally useful. I am truly impressed with the level of dedication and the quality of resources offered in this learning experience.
How has your approach to your work changed?
Despite the time constraints that limit my opportunity to collaborate with colleagues in applying the tools, I have discovered that implementing them by myself significantly enhances my analytical capabilities in addressing challenges and opportunities in my daily work. Furthermore, the valuable addition of these new tools, introduced during the basecamp, complements my previous knowledge of numerical and abstract analytical methods. This expanded skill set empowers me to effect transformative changes in health systems with even greater effectiveness and efficiency.
What can people come to you to ask about?
Having a background in health, I am proud of having expanded my expertise into various areas that significantly contribute to some of the current public health challenges. These areas include supply chain logistics and the quality of medical products, the intersection of health with other domains, like gender perspective and inclusion, a strategic vision for health programs in vulnerable contexts, and digital health, among others. I believe this diverse knowledge equips me in offering insights when analyzing specific health systems, to those seeking guidance in the field.
What's your current inquiry question about?
Given the increasing significance of digital health in the health sector, I have a strong interest and have been dedicating time to learning about it. I believe digital health is a rapidly expanding field, and I actively engage in reading and participating in discussions across various platforms. In light of this, my inquiry question to the digital health field itself specifically focuses on whether we will possess capabilities to proactively mitigate new challenges in the face of its rapid progression.
What are your go-to resources?
In my professional journey, I have come to recognize the significance of adaptability and the avoidance of making assumptions within a specific system. I acknowledge that our knowledge can create also bias in the process. Therefore, when addressing questions or challenges, I strive to rely on international guidelines and standards. But most importantly, I leverage the network I have cultivated through my work experience to engage in discussions, challenge ideas, and thoroughly scrutinize the system in which I am working. By doing so, I aim to ensure a comprehensive and well-rounded approach to problem-solving and learning.
