Bio
Dr. Krista Donaldson is the Director of Innovation to Impact at the Byers Center for Biodesign, where her work focuses on ensuring design tools and processes are broadly equitable and accessible across domestic and global health markets. She is also one of the Stanford Biodesign leads in establishing the East Africa Biodesign Program at the University of Global Health Equity (Rwanda), the University of Rwanda, and Kenyatta University (Kenya).
Dr. Donaldson teaches in both the Stanford Biodesign and East Africa Biodesign fellowship programs, as well as co-teaches MED 232 Global Health: Scaling Health Technology Innovations in Low Resource Settings with Dr. Michele Barry and Dr. Anurag Mairal.
Prior to joining the Byers Center, she was recognized as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, TED speaker, and one of Fast Company’s “50 Designers Shaping the Future". Her work focuses on closing gaps in health health equity and strengthening local innovation. Over 2M patients – mostly children and young people – in 80 countries have been treated by products of which she lead the design and scaling. Dr. Donaldson also served as an Economic Officer at the U.S. Department of State where she managed part of Iraq’s reconstruction portfolio, co-founded the startup Safehub (acquired by Bitium, USA), and taught at the University of Cape Town (South Africa) and Kenyatta University.
Dr. Donaldson is a long-time member of the Stanford community, having received two master’s degrees in Product Design and Mechanical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford, and TA-ing throughout. During her PhD, she also received the African Teaching Fellowship from the African Studies department. Since graduating, she has been a frequent lecturer in classes in the School of Engineering, Graduate School of Business, and School of Medicine.
In addition to her work at Stanford she serves on a number of boards and works with organizations to promote financing of local medtech innovation in emerging markets.
Current Role at Stanford
Director of Innovation to Impact, Byers Center for Biodesign