Congratulations to the five UW Bioengineering-related teams competing in the 2022 Holloman Health Innovation Challenge (HIC) March 3. The Bioengineering students are part of 21 regional finalist teams facing off in the competition. Four of the five teams are part of the Master’s of Applied Bioengineering (MAB) program.
Hosted by the UW Foster School’s Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship, the teams are competing for more than $37,500 in prizes this year.
The competition takes place each March and is open to both undergraduate and graduate students to encourage innovative solutions to major health problems faced around the world. The student teams represent five institutions across Washington and British Columbia, and dozens of departments, majors and programs.
Forty-six applicants submitted proposals and were screened by dozens of entrepreneurs, investors and health professionals from the region.
The awards include a $15,000 Grand Prize sponsored by WRF Capital, $10,000 Second Place Prize sponsored by the Herbert B. Jones Foundation and a $5,000 Third Place Prize sponsored by Fenwick & West. There are also three Best Idea Prizes that award $2,500 each (see below).
To learn more about the prizes and all the finalist teams, read the Buerk Center blog.
Good luck to the five UW BioE-related finalist teams!
Believe Sleeve
Believe Sleeve is developing an educational and self-therapeutic system focusing on addressing phantom limb pain, which has no standard treatment, for people with amputation. Master of Applied Bioengineering team: Lindsey Fischer, Rei Mukai, Annika Sahota and Vivi Yu
HeartX
HeartX is developing a device that eliminates blood obstruction risks to the coronary artery during a transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Master of Applied Bioengineering team: Anmolpreet Mavi, Aashik Raman, Tate Tong
ReSET
ReSET is developing a remote measurement device to grade muscle hypertonia, a condition involving restrictive and excessive muscle tone, so it can be treated in any location. Master of Applied Bioengineering team: Marly Koala, Ethan Ng, Charlie Preston
SpO24U
SpO24U is developing a wearable continuous monitor for patients to access accurate and continuous oxygen saturation levels during movement and exercise. Master of Applied Bioengineering team: Maddalena Di Piazza, Avry Freaney, Mikayla Minton, Jose Ugas
Customouse
Customouse is developing an ergonomic, customized fit computer mouse with wrist support that aims to prevent or relieve carpal tunnel syndrome and forearm muscle fatigue. This team is comprised of students from three UW programs – Art, Art History and Design; MBA; and Bioengineering. The Bioengineering student participating on the team is Ph.D. student Zhiying (Sabrina) Xi.
About the Best Idea prizes
The Jim & Timmie Hollomon Best Idea for a Medical Device recognizes the medical device concept (for a physical product) with the most promising opportunity to significantly improve the lives of patients or providers.
The Kent & Lisa Sacia Best Idea in Digital Health Prize honors an innovative digital health application that has a high likelihood of being implemented in practical healthcare situations and is expected to have a meaningful impact.
Best Idea for Addressing Health Access and Disparities Prize recognizes a student innovation or intervention that seeks to close the gap in health disparities for low-income and disadvantaged groups by increasing access to point-of-care healthcare services and/or addressing systemic biases within the current healthcare system.