The Pakistan Association of Greater Boston (PAGB) hosted this event to highlight a promising and relevant Pakistani company: Umbulizer. Every year, millions of people lack access to basic ventilation in the setting of acute respiratory distress, anesthesia during surgery, or major public health emergencies. Umbulizer developed a reliable, low-cost, and portable breathing solution that can address a significant portion of global ventilator demand at a fraction of the cost. Founded in Boston by Harvard, MIT, and BU alumni, Umbulizer has gained considerable traction. Its life-saving device has received first place recognition at venues such as the Harvard President’s Innovation Challenge, the Harvard Business School New Venture Competition, the MIT Global IDEAS Challenge, and the BU New Venture Competition.
 
The ventilator, UMV-001, is the product of years of collaboration among a diverse team of product designers, engineers, and international pulmonary and critical care experts. The device is simple to operate, extremely portable, and wirelessly monitored. This ventilator is intended for use in intensive care units, emergency rooms, ambulances, and in the field. Health providers can use UMV-001 to deliver life-saving air and oxygen to patients who require respiratory support. UMV-001 has been granted FDA Emergency Use Authorization and has undergone extensive benchtop and human factors validation. A year-long randomized clinical trial on ICU patients was completed in late 2019, demonstrating safety and similar efficacy as standard-of-care ventilators. Umbulizer designed UMV-001 following high-quality standards for all materials, manufacturing and assembly, including GMP guidelines for medical devices as well as universal ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 standards. Umbulizer has been widely recognized for its potential to expand access to affordable ventilation around the world. 

The event was moderated by Siraj Khan (PAGB President) and speakers included Shaheer Piracha (Umbulizer CEO and Co-founder), Barry D. Hoffman (Hon. Consul General Pakistan Embassy), Macy Hopkinson (Power to Pakistan Founder and President), Dr. Fozia Qamar (PAGB Director of Social Affairs), Dr. Naheed Usmani (APPNA President), Dr. Antique A. Mirza, Farooq Ansari, Tahir Ali (PAGB Public Relations Director), and Shela Gull (PAGB Treasurer). The event had the goal of fundraising money to send Umbulizer's ventilators to rural areas in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The event raised enough money to send 4 ventilators.