PennApps XXV
First prize winning team members from Snapill (left to right): Shishir Vargheese, Simeon Paek, Sriram Kalki, and Aaron Goldmuntz (Judge). (photo provided by University of Pennsylvania)
The 25th anniversary of the nation’s oldest hackathon, PennApps XXV, recently took place on September 20-22 at The University of Pennsylvania.
The winning team, Snapill, was awarded a FUJIFILM Instax instant camera for each team member. Snapill team members include Simeon Paek, Shishir Vargheese, and Sriram Kalki. Snapill is an app that enables patients to scan medication vials, and then it automatically generates the prescription name, expiration date, dosage, and possible times to take the pill. The app also sends reminders for taking medications, along with a feature that allows patients to “chat” with their medications via Cerebras AI Inference models. This feature also lets patients request more information about the drug and includes a personal vanguard that scans for contraindications and incompatibility between medications.
The second-place team, SurgiSafe, was awarded mini projectors as their reward. SurgiSafe team members include Katelyn Wong, Miles Hall, Lauren Foster, and Malu Braga. SurgiSafe is a wearable device designed to monitor wounds by detecting moisture, temperature, and pH levels in real time. This device provides crucial data, enabling early alerts for patients and healthcare providers, which can help prevent serious infections. This project was inspired by the critical need for early detection of Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) and the rising concern of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The team aimed to create a solution that enhances patient safety by enabling timely alerts for potential wound infections.
Katelyn Wong, a SurgiSafe team member, noted that shorter hospital discharge times drove the team “to develop a solution that allows patients to monitor their surgical incisions at home, enabling early detection of infections before complications arise.” She also said the experience of the Patient Safety 101 workshop, led by volunteer Aaron Goldmuntz, was the team’s “first exposure to the critical intersection of patient safety and innovative healthcare solutions. The insights we gained during this workshop sparked a shared passion within our team to explore how we can make a lasting impact on patient outcomes.”
Looking to the future, the SurgiSafe team plans to gather user feedback, conduct more testing in clinical environments, and refine their prototype accordingly. They are eager to “enhance the device's accuracy and explore partnerships with healthcare providers for real-world implementation,” in addition to incorporating data analytics and remote monitoring capabilities.
Jeffrey Feldman, MD, MSE, Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who judged the Patient Safety track, called mentoring "a fun and enriching experience… I had the opportunity to meet and discuss patient safety projects with numerous groups of bright, skilled, passionate student engineers from a variety of disciplines. It was so gratifying to see what they were able to accomplish and the impact of our discussions." Feldman is enthusiastic about the prospect of judging at future competitions. Aaron Goldmuntz, MBA, MHSA, also judged the Patient Safety track and said he was “so impressed with how many teams explored truly innovative solutions to address patient safety."
