SMART VILLAGE MOVEMENT
Supported Charities & Global Initiatives
The Global Health Forum proudly partners with the following mission-driven charitable organizations and humanitarian initiatives. Each of these efforts is led by a physician, scientist or visionary committed to healthcare access, education and community empowerment at the grassroots level.
Smart Village Movement
Founder: Professor Solomon Darwin, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
Executive Chairman: Dr. Anil Shah, MD, FACC, FSCAI
The Smart Village Movement (SVM) was founded in 2016 by Professor Solomon Darwin, Executive Director of the Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation and the Center for Growth Markets at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. Known as the
Father of the Smart Village Movement, Professor Darwin pioneered an Open Innovation platform that connects rural communities with academia, governments, and corporations to drive sustainable transformation from the grassroots up. In 2019, California-based interventional cardiologist and philanthropist Dr. Anil Shah joined the movement as Executive Chairman. Dr. Shah completed his medical training at the University of Bombay and a cardiology fellowship at UCLA and is the founder and CEO of Coastal Heart Medical Group in Southern California. He brings both medical expertise and a deep personal commitment to the health and well-being of underserved rural populations, especially in India. SVM's approach is built on its Triple Helix framework, uniting government, academia, and business with local communities to drive scalable, technology-powered development. Active programs currently operate in Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh, and Arunachal Pradesh, in partnership with state governments and UC Berkeley. The initiative has expanded to include Positive Public Healthcare Management (PPHM) and Trailblazer Labs, among other verticals. Professor Darwin has authored two landmark books: The Road to Mori: Smart Villages of Tomorrow (2018) and How to Create Smart Villages: Open Innovation Solutions for Emerging Markets (2020).
Areas of Focus
Rural healthcare access and telemedicine
Clean water, sanitation, and renewable energy
Digital literacy and technology integration
Educational access and skills development
Women and youth empowerment
Sustainable agricultural and economic development
Open innovation through academia, government, and private sector collaboration
GHF Partnership
Global Health Congress gives Smart Village Movement a global platform for visibility,
physician engagement, and high-level leadership dialogue. Global Health Foundation
strengthens the charitable side by connecting SVM with physicians, healthcare leaders,
donors, and institutional partners who can help expand healthcare access, telemedicine
infrastructure, and sustainable village development across underserved regions worldwide.