The Global Digital Health Forum (GDHF) is always a highlight on the Dimagi calendar, and we’re thrilled to be returning this year to connect with partners, share insights from our work, and explore the innovations shaping the future of digital health.
This year’s forum comes at a defining moment for our sector. Unprecedented funding contractions have disrupted digital health efforts around the world, threatening progress on health outcomes but also reminding us why this work, and this gathering, matter more than ever.
Out of this disruption comes a chance to rebuild, placing equity, local ownership, and meaningful outcomes at the heart of digital health. We’re witnessing a shift from funding effort to paying for outcomes. At Dimagi, we’re defining what this looks like in practice.
Connect with Us at GDHF
If you’re attending in person, stop by our booth to connect with the Dimagi team and explore how we’re championing this shift. See demos of CommCare, our flagship platform for impactful frontline work, and CommCare Connect, which enables frontline workers to learn new skills, deliver verified services, and earn income for their impact. Learn more about Open Chat Studio for building public health chatbots or how SureAdhere supports virtual patient engagement for complex treatment regimens.
Whether you’re interested in our products, exploring partnership opportunities, or simply want to reconnect, we’d love to see you at our booth.
Appy Hour with Dimagi and Living Goods
This year, GDHF’s traditional Happy Hour is getting a digital twist with Appy Hour. Dimagi has a long history of hosting community Happy Hours at GDHF, and we’re excited to continue that tradition, this time in partnership with Living Goods. Join us on the first evening of the Conference, December 3, for a fun, informal showcase of app presentations, conversation, and connection.
Presentations & Sessions from Dimagi
Here is a rundown of the sessions we’ll be participating in for 2025:
CATSCoach: Learnings from AI Coaching for FLWs, with Zvandiri
CATSCoach is an AI-powered coaching tool developed by Dimagi and Zvandiri to strengthen the communication and counseling skills of Community Adolescent Treatment Supporters (CATS) in Zimbabwe. With support from the Endless Network, the project explored how large language models can simulate real counseling scenarios and provide real-time, personalized feedback.
Built on Dimagi’s Open Chat Studio and structured around the EQUIP framework, CATSCoach enabled 100 CATS workers to practice counseling skills in English, Shona, and Ndebele, even in low-connectivity environments. Over half of reviewed users showed measurable improvement in at least one skill domain, and 82% found the tool helpful for their work. This session will share how structured, AI-driven coaching tools can be designed and evaluated to strengthen communication skills at scale.
Early Lessons from Evaluating Multi-Language GenAI Chatbots for Sexual and Reproductive Health
For nearly a decade, chatbots have helped deliver sexual and reproductive health information to young people. While demand for these services is clear, evidence of impact beyond knowledge gains has remained limited. Generative AI now offers the potential for more detailed, personalized, and context-aware responses. But does it lead to better outcomes?
This panel brings together stakeholders evaluating GenAI-powered chatbots used by young people in Kenya and Senegal. We’ll explore evaluation across design, development, and deployment covering model safety, cultural relevance, user experience, service performance, and health outcomes. Featuring technologists, evaluation experts, and youth co-designers, this discussion will unpack what it truly takes to assess LLM-powered chatbots and whether early evidence points to real-world impact.
“They Called Us”: Community-Driven KMC Enrollment as a Signal of Local Ownership
This panel spotlights a frontline worker and two locally led organizations delivering community-based Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in Uganda. Their programs use CommCare Connect, a digital platform that supports pay-for-impact models through transparent payments to organizations and workers for each small or vulnerable newborn completing the KMC intervention.
Since launch, the program has enrolled over 675 newborns, facilitated 1,400 home visits, and initiated 120 referrals. Over $20,000 in payments have been disbursed, strengthening livelihoods and accountability for quality care. The frontline worker will share their journey from unpaid volunteer to compensated health worker, while organization leaders discuss how co-development and pay-for-impact models have transformed delivery.
The most telling outcome? Communities now call workers directly to enroll newborns, and health facilities are requesting to join. The Ministry of Health has expressed interest in scaling. This growing demand signals local ownership, trust, and sustainability in action.
Forging Consensus: Open Dialogues on the Imperative for Common Mental Health Measures
The global rise in mental health challenges underscores the urgent need for scalable, evidence-based programs. Yet evaluation remains fragmented by inconsistent and narrowly clinical measures.
This lightning talk summarizes findings from a global survey conducted by Dimagi with Grand Challenges Canada, Friendship Bench, and 32 organizations across five continents. The results call for a paradigm shift: moving beyond symptom tracking toward holistic measures of psychosocial well-being, resilience, and positive behavioral change.
Attendees will learn about key measurement challenges, practitioner priorities, recommended scales (including the WHO-5 Well-Being Index and PHQ/GAD series), and the outcome domains that matter most. The talk will also explore how a digital foundation can enable adaptable, community-driven measurement, supporting both standardization and localization for low-literacy contexts.
Join Us at GDHF
If you’re attending GDHF this year, we hope you’ll make time to connect with us. Visit our booth, join us at the Appy Hour, and let’s continue building a world where everyone has access to the services they need to thrive.
Haven’t registered yet? There’s still time to register for the Global Digital Health Forum and be part of this important gathering. We look forward to seeing you there!
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