Northeast Ohio Medical University and UH Ventures co-hosted the first annual Healthcare Transformation Ideator event last week. Hosted at Bounce Innovation Hub in Akron, the exclusive two-day competition challenged over 60 participants with developing innovative tech-enabled ideas to improve maternal and infant mortality.
While the five participating teams were fierce competitors, there could only be one winner. In first place, winning $5,000 to support the development of their idea, was team “Bounce Buddies.” The team consisted of two NEOMED employees, Nate Flath and Jordan Walker. The two, along with four UH employee teammates, conceptualized an integrative app called Auntie Mia for pregnant individuals. The app would allow for real-time help and services at the click of a button.
Taking second place and receiving funding toward their innovative idea was team “Baby Beat Box.” The six-member team, including NEOMED’s Jordan Cinderich, developed an idea of deploying a prenatal visit in a box, retrievable at various places in the community. The box and a developed app would help identify high risk pregnancies and connect pregnant individuals to resources within the community.
Lacey Madison, vice president for Strategy and Transformation, said the event was a major success and looks forward to next year. “The Ideator event was a small sample of what our integrated organizations can produce in a short amount of time to move the needle on real-life health issues within our region,” she said.
Congratulations to the winning teams!
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