IrvineHacks
DocuDoc Team Members (left to right): Ava Gonick, John Connell, and Wren Xue (photo provided by University of California – Irvine)
The University of California – Irvine, hosted its annual IrvineHacks competition from January 24-26, bringing together over 400 talented hackers and 21 industry professionals from across the region. Patient Safety Technology Challenge returned for the second year as a sponsor, offering a prize valued at $500 to the team with the best consumer-driven patient safety innovation.
To kick off the Patient Safety Technology Challenge, a special screening of The Pitch: Patient Safety’s Next Generation was held the night before the competition. The documentary follows the journey of a young innovator navigating the complex world of healthcare innovation. It highlights the perseverance required to break into the healthcare industry and the vital role of collaboration between medical professionals and tech innovators. The screening was followed by a thought-provoking discussion with the film’s co-producer Ariana Longley, which left many attendees, inspired to explore new ways to address healthcare challenges.
In addition to the screening, Longley, Project Manager for the Patient Safety Technology Challenge, led an engaging Patient Safety 101 workshop on the first night of the competition. During the workshop, Longley introduced participants to the critical issues surrounding patient safety and medical errors, sparking deep interest in healthcare innovation.
The DocuDoc team, comprised of Ava Gonick, John Connell, and Wren Xue, emerged as the winner of the Patient Safety Technology Challenge. Each team member was awarded a Marshall Emberton II Portable Bluetooth Speaker as a prize. Nathan Choi, an IrvineHacks organizer, shared his enthusiasm about the partnership with the Patient Safety Technology Challenge, calling it an overwhelming success. He noted, "We watched many teams enter the event knowing little about patient safety, but leave with a newfound passion for innovating in the space." Choi was particularly impressed by DocuDoc’s project, which he described as “a cross-platform transcription application for patients that chains multiple deep learning models trained on real clinical conversations.” This innovative tool aims to bridge the communication gap between patients and healthcare providers.
The team behind DocuDoc shares a deep commitment to improving healthcare systems, driven by personal experiences. John Connell, a sophomore at UCLA studying computer science, spoke candidly about how his own experiences with medical error motivated him to pursue system-level changes in healthcare. He explained, “All of us share a passion for improving lives – whether that’s through one-on-one patient interactions or by making an impact on a larger scale through code.” DocuDoc was born from the team’s desire to tackle the communication challenges that many patients face in the healthcare system. Connell emphasized the rushed nature of healthcare visits, the complexity of medical jargon, and the difficulty patients have understanding "post-visit instructions," especially those with low medical literacy or who speak English as a second language. He explained, “DocuDoc is a tool designed to bridge the gap between doctor’s orders and what actually happens after a visit, providing patients with an easy-to-understand summary and transcription of their visit.”
Wren Xue, a team member with a background in emergency medical services, also found inspiration from her own healthcare experiences. As a child, she experienced a misdiagnosis followed by an inappropriate course of treatment. This formative experience sparked her passion for patient safety and her determination to pursue a career focused on improving healthcare delivery. Additionally, Xue recognized the importance of clear communication in patient-provider relationships. From her time working as an EMT, she witnessed firsthand how poor communication can lead to confusion and errors. While many existing apps aim to improve communication between patients and doctors, Xue pointed out that most focus on simple transcription without emphasizing key elements of the visit, such as instructions for follow-up care. She added, “Many patients, especially those with low literacy or language barriers, need more than just a transcript – they need clear, actionable information.”
Xue’s teammate, Ava Gonick, shared her own experiences, noting that patients are often too nervous to fully understand the doctor’s words after they receive bad news, which can lead to non-adherence to medical advice. Gonick said her experiences with the healthcare system “inspired [her] to try and explore innovations that make patients’ lives just a little easier.”
Looking ahead, Xue and her team are committed to making DocuDoc even more accessible. “Our goal is to increase the language compatibility of our app, ensuring it reaches and helps as many patients as possible,” Xue shared.
With teams like DocuDoc leading the way, the future of healthcare innovation looks bright – one that is rooted in empathy, collaboration, and a shared commitment to improving patient outcomes.
