Luz Salazar

Peruvian social innovator creating sustainable solutions for rural healthcare

Luz Salazar (b.1978) is a groundbreaking social innovator from Peru who developed portable healthcare solutions for remote Andean communities. As founder of Salud Andina, she designed the Telemedicine Mule - solar-powered medical units carried by pack animals to reach villages 50km from the nearest clinic. This system now serves 200,000 people through satellite-linked diagnostic tools and emergency teleconsultations. Salazar's Community Health Ambassadors program trains local residents as first responders, reducing maternal mortality rates by 60% in project areas. Her Portable Maternal Care Kit includes fetal monitors and emergency supplies stored in waterproof backpacks, distributed through 150+ health posts she established. A MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, Salazar's work inspired Peru's 2015 Rural Health Act mandating mobile clinic access. She co-created the Health Innovators Network, a global platform connecting 300+ grassroots health initiatives. Her TEDx talk "The Mules That Save Lives" has over 2 million views. Salazar's latest project, the 3D Printed Prosthetics Initiative, uses local materials to create affordable limbs for landmine survivors in Colombia and Afghanistan.