Novel wound care device wins top honors in NEOvations Bench to Bedside competition

Student teams from NEOMED, Case Western Reserve University, University of Akron, University of Hawaii and University of Utah demonstrated their medical technologies at the fifth annual NEOvations Bench to Bedside competition, held April 9 in the NEW Center Ballroom.

A total of 32 teams presented their work to a panel of judges. Several teams were “legacy” teams that continued their work in the NEOvations Bench to Bedside program for a second or third year.

The NEOvations Bench to Bedside program provides an opportunity for students and professionals to collaborate to develop medical innovations from concept to prototype. The program was coordinated by College of Medicine students Alex Powell (M2), Mitchell Bailey (M1), Jalal Jwayyed (M2) and Abigail Schwenk (M1), with leadership from NEOMED President John Langell, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., and Fayez Safadi, Ph.D., faculty director of NEOvations Bench to Bedside and Ohio Research Scholar.

Keynote speaker Amol Soin, M.D. ('02), a renowned interventional pain specialist and successful biotechnology entrepreneur, shared advice for budding entrepreneurs in his remarks. He counseled students to “put the patient experience at the top of the innovation pyramid.” He also cautioned them to protect their intellectual property. “Make sure you grab the patents!” he advised.

Ending an inspirational note, Dr. Soin shared, “Your mindset will drive your success.”

AWARDEES

Congratulations to this year’s NEOvations Bench to Bedside awardees!

First Place ($10,000) and People’s Choice Award ($1,000)

Wrap Star, a reversible, color-changing gauze and wrap that senses humidity to enhance wound care monitoring. (The team, pictured at top: Sarah Kassis (M2), Ramah Kassis (Kent State), Falasha Mahdevia (Kent State), Sofia Perez (M2), Surbhi Srinivas (M2), Emma Dang (M1) and Sarah Mirza (M1). Mentor: Deepak Kurian Ozhathil, M.D., MUSC Children’s Health.)

Second Place ($5,000)

Ignite Recovery Burn Dressing Outer Covering, a covering for burn wound dressings developed to reduce pain and maximize patient comfort. (The team: Andrew Martin (University of Akron), Hailey Essinger (UAkron) and Matt Flaker (UAkron). Mentors: Justin Baker, Ph.D., Ohio State College of Medicine, and Nicole Bernal, M.D., Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.)

Third Place ($2,500)

NEOFlow, a device to improve flow in dialysis. (The team: Adam Grden (COGS), Sameer Parashar (COGS) and Nafees Sathik (COGS). Mentors: James Keszenheimer, Ph.D., M.B.A., NEOMED, and Rupesh Raina, M.D., NEOMED and Akron Children’s Hospital.)

Legacy Award (tie)

AccessiChart, an application to highlight accessibility needs on patient charts. (The team: Kayla Johnson (M2), Brigid Devine (M2) and Morgan Smith (M2). Mentor: Katherine Wolfe, D.O., FACOG, Akron Children’s Hospital.)

The Wound-Reel, a wearable device that digitally records and reports post-operative drain fluid volume output, while utilizing a user-friendly mobile application and EHR integration. (The team: Meredith Farrell, Abigail Schwenk, Yena Kong, Varun Raja and Jack McCarthy. Mentors: Fayez Safadi, Ph.D., NEOMED, and Adam Goodwill, Ph.D., NEOMED)