Sixth annual NEOvations Bench to Bedside competition showcases student innovation
by Jared Slanina
The NEW Center Ballroom was filled with enthusiastic innovators with one common goal – to help transform the healthcare industry through innovation.
The Sixth Annual NEOvations Bench to Bedside competition included 30 teams with a new concept for medical devices or technology, as well as seven “Legacy Teams” who have continued to develop their products towards commercialization since participating in an earlier competition.
The event kicked off with poster presentations, as teams presented their work to judges and members of the community. The ballroom buzzed as the team members excitedly detailed their months of work and how their projects may one day improve the lives of patients.
In addition to the many NEOMED students who participated, teams also joined the competition from throughout the region and the U.S., including teams from the University of Utah, University of Hawaii and the University of Miami (Florida).
Second-year medical student and president of NEOvations Bench to Bedside, Mitchell Bailey, extended a heartfelt “thank you” to Fayez Safadi, Ph.D. Wednesday marked the final Bench to Bedside competition for Dr. Safadi as director of the program, after successfully leading it since its implementation at NEOMED in 2021.
Michael Forbes, M.D., (pictured above) chief academic officer at Akron Children’s Hospital and a NEOMED Distinguished University Professor, addressed the audience as the keynote speaker.
“What we just witnessed was absolutely remarkable,” said Dr. Forbes in recognition of the projects. “I spoke with a colleague who said, ‘I’m not sure if these students are 100% smarter than us or 1000%.”
“There has never been a better moment in history to be in healthcare,” Dr. Forbes continued. “This is an unprecedented moment. The tools to be able to take a clinical problem – something you witnessed with your own eyes, heard with your own ears, felt with your own hands…something that kept you up at night – the tools to solve these problems that keep you up at night are available now.”
The moment of anticipation arrived immediately following Dr. Forbes’ address – the announcement of awards. The winning teams receive up to $10,000 in seed money.
A new Kinetic Award was presented by Elyse Ball of Bounce Innovation Hub (pictured left) to the MatrX team of Yara Habo, M2, and mechanical engineer Alayna Cuevas. The award includes three months of support from Bounce, including mentorship, gap assessment and commercialization guidance to help move technology forward.
Mentor of the Year honors were presented to Deepak Ozhathil, M.D., of Akron Children's Hospital. (Photo: Dr. Ozhathil with Fayez Safadi, Ph.D.)
NEOvations Bench to Bedside is presented with support from the Burton D. Morgan Foundation and the NEOMED Foundation.
Congratulations to the winning teams!
Poster Presentation Awards
First Place: Valor PT ($10,000)
Aidan Kraan, Edward Son, Ethan Mardovin, Varun Raja, Avinab De, Andrew Bostick, Carter Burnett, Saverio Mignella, Jillian Gady, Macey Swearingan
Second Place: Naventro ($5,000)
Rajiv Raman
Third Place: NEOMED MCH/Go Mama Go ($2,500)
Grace Kessen, Rohini Kumar, Bria Shackleford
People’s Choice Award (as voted by attendees): FindMyOTC ($1,000)
Sebastian Bova, Adil Hasan
Legacy Team Awards
First Place: FlowMo ($5,000)
Varun Raja, Matthew Price, Dhishan Kashyap, Pouya Susanabadifarahani, Alaya Kiser, Jonathan Takacs
Second Place: The Watchman/Zonal Coating Application System ($2,500)
Saaleha Shamsi, Andrew Muskara, Mustafa Houmsse 
People’s Choice: WrapStar ($1,000)
Ramah Kassis, Sofia Perez, Surbhi Srinivas, Sarah Mirza, Emma Dang, Falasha Mahadevia, Sarah Kassis
