Speaking Up for Impact: Real-Time Data & Medical Programs at the 2025 Global Nonprofit Leaders Summit

What an incredible experience! This past March 25-27th, I had the profound honor of speaking at the 2025 Global Nonprofit Leaders Summit, sharing the stage with some of the most innovative minds in the sector. My session focused on a topic incredibly close to my heart at Operation Smile: how we're leveraging Microsoft's Power Platform and Fabric to revolutionize real-time tracking of medical events and deviations.

For those unfamiliar, Operation Smile is one of the world's largest volunteer-driven surgical nonprofit organizations. Our mission is to bridge the gap in essential surgery and health care, delivering life-changing procedures across 37 countries. This work demands immense precision, accountability, and the ability to adapt quickly. That's where cutting-edge technology comes in.

In my role as Head of Global Technology, I'm constantly exploring how advancements can directly support our medical teams on the ground. We're moving beyond traditional data collection to build dynamic, real-time tools. Imagine a surgical mission in a remote village: every step, every critical medical event, and any deviation from standard protocol can now be recorded and analyzed instantly.

Why Real-Time Data Matters in the Field

This isn't just about efficiency; it's about safety, quality, and continuous improvement. By building these tools within the Microsoft Power Platform (think Power Apps for easy data entry, Power Automate for workflows) and harnessing the robust capabilities of Microsoft Fabric for data warehousing and analytics, we're achieving several critical goals:

• Immediate Insight: Our medical leaders can see patterns and potential issues as they unfold, not weeks later.
• Enhanced Patient Safety: Real-time deviation tracking allows for immediate intervention and learning.
• Optimized Resource Allocation: Understanding needs in the moment means better deployment of volunteers and supplies.
• Global Learning: Data from one mission can quickly inform best practices for the next, anywhere in the world.

Sharing our journey and the tangible impact of these technological shifts with such a dedicated audience at the Global Nonprofit Leaders Summit was truly inspiring. It reinforced my belief that when passion meets powerful tools like Power Platform and Fabric, there's no limit to the positive social impact we can create.

I'm incredibly proud of the work our team at Operation Smile is doing and grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the larger conversation about tech for good.

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