Judging Chair Announced: Q&A with João Ricardo Vissoci
We are delighted to announce that João Ricardo Vissoci is the Judging Chair for the Wellcome Snakebite Innovation Prize.
João is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Neurosurgery, Global Health, and Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at Duke, serving as Chief of the Division of Translational Health Sciences. He specialises in data-driven, mixed-methods research to improve health access and equity and to translate evidence into practice in low-resource settings.
Watch the Q&A with João Ricardo Vissoci
We sat down with João to discuss how AI, spatial analytics, and community-centred design can transform emergency healthcare for neglected crises like snakebite.
During our discussion, João talked about:
Advice for tech innovators navigating data-sparse environments to build practical, real-world solutions.
Essential social, cultural, and behavioural dynamics teams must address for effective adoption.
Guidance for teams entering the Wellcome Snakebite Innovation Prize.
How challenge prizes drive rapid innovation and can reshape snakebite care over the next decade.
Watch the Q&A to gain insights and refine your entry before the submission deadline on 16 September.
- - -
Throughout our conversation with João, he emphasises that real impact lies in practical, community-centred design. As Judging Chair, he hopes to see entries that move beyond overly complex concepts and focus instead on meaningful, mid-term solutions that translate knowledge from other fields to bridge the gap in care for people affected by snakebite envenoming.
If you want to help transform snakebite care, we encourage you to enter the prize by 16 September 2026.
