University of Rochester SMD Entrepreneurs’ Innovation Challenge
Team SAMA presents their winning idea VAPGuard.
The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Student Entrepreneur group (SMD Entrepreneurs) organized a four-week innovation challenge sponsored by the Patient Safety Technology Challenge, with funding from the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative. The event launched October 19th and culminated in a final pitch competition on November 16th. Between the launch date and the finale, students met one-on-one virtually with patient safety experts serving as mentors. A total of eight teams pitched in the competition. Three teams came away from the event with cash prizes. The team that won the first prize of $2,000 went to VAPGuard; second place for $1,000 went to M2, and the third-place team receiving $500 was MedForward. Organizer Brandon Davis said he was “blown away” by the quality of submissions for this inaugural event.
Team SAMA created VAPGuard. SAMA team member Sudarshan Ramanan said, “VAPGuard is a novel mouthguard that clips around an endotracheal tube for ventilated patients. Using a specific wavelength of blue light, the light technology, inbuilt within the mouthguard, can kill the bacteria that colonizes inside a patient's mouth… As an M.D. candidate, I have always had a deep interest in medicine and technology. After learning about the competition through the University of Rochester SMD entrepreneurship organization, I soon began to realize the scope of medical errors and how they impact the care and outcomes of patients. This was an eye-opening experience for me and has also helped me look at medicine and innovations through a different lens.”
Mentor Brent Nibarger, founder and president of Healthcare Innovations, LLC, said, “I really enjoyed participating. The students were just as sharp, professional, cordial and respectful as they could be… I got a lot of added value from participating, personally.”
Second-place team, M2, designed an AI-directed training simulator for placement of drains into hydrocephalus patients and traumatic brain injuries. These drains are often misplaced. The team is composed of four medical students. According to team member Ibrahim Jalal the team has a, “collective desire to work to improve future patient outcomes.” Jalal added, “M2 Simulator looks to improve training of external ventricular drain (EVD) placement by providing users with validated practice.” Mentor Clare Stortini, assistant quality officer at the University of Rochester, said “the students from team M2 were phenomenal.” She spent extra time with them on pitch prep to ensure their success.
The third-place prize went to MedForward. MedForward redesigned surgical pedals with haptic feedback to reduce the risk of surgeons pressing the wrong pedal, saving time and resources while reducing potential complications. Mentor Mike Ackerman, director of the Master of Healthcare Innovation Program at Ohio State University, said it was good to be back involved at the mentor level as it had been a while since he was involved in a competition in this capacity. “It was a nice experience. It was uplifting, rewarding and provides hope that the youngsters of today are really quite energetic and smart,” said Ackerman.
Over the course of one month, all three teams created unique solutions to address patient safety issues. The Patient Safety Technology Challenge is thrilled to sponsor events like this that engage with students and highlight the pressing issues of patient safety.