Alastair van Heerden is Research Director of the Syndicate for Public Science and Emerging Technologies (SYNAPSE). He has over 15 years of experience conducting clinical, behavioral and community-based research throughout East and Southern Africa, the United States, Nepal and Brazil. He has an interdisciplinary focus to his research which combines his interest in technology for development and public health with the aim of improving access to care for underserved and poorly resourced communities.