Apr 15
2019
The Innovation Studio at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Announces 10 Semi-Finalists of First-Ever Gamifying Pediatrics Hackathon
The Innovation Studio at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) announces 10 semi-finalists of the first ever Gamifying Pediatrics Hackathon, which took place April 12 through 14, 2019, at BCG Digital Ventures (BCGDV) in Manhattan Beach (CA), the global corporate venture and incubation arm of the Boston Consulting Group.
This free event brought together 185 participants, including physicians and nurses on the front lines of pediatric medicine, engineers, developers, and experts in virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and gaming. The Hackathon’s aim is to encourage development, incubation and implementation of new digital health tools and immersive experiences that will serve the needs of both patients and providers in the pediatric healthcare space.
“Curated collisions are the secret of effective innovation. Our hackathon surrounded smart, passionate developers with clinical leaders, tech industry experts and healthcare executives, allowing for random interactions that enabled the creation of incredible innovative solutions,” said Omkar Kulkarni, chief innovation officer of the CHLA Innovation Studio, whose recently formed Digital Health Lab is addressing three areas within pediatric healthcare: (1) enhancing digital therapeutic care for patients; (2) improving clinical education and training for doctors, nurses and patient families; and (3) transforming the patient and family experience so that the clinical setting is more appealing and less frightening for young patients.
Over the course of 48 hours, Hackathon participants pitched 47 ideas and formed 22 teams that created rough prototypes, presenting their ideas to a judging panel of CHLA experts on the final day. Ten teams were selected as semi-finalists who will advance to the Incubator phase, where they receive free mentorship while developing their prototypes over the next six months.
Each will present at CHLA Demo Day, a final competition, in October. The 10 teams include: Pb Buddies; Positive Place; Team BiBli; Global Smiles; CODE: BLUE; Children’s Hospital Companion / StoryHealers; Poo-Pee Interactive; Speak iT; Team Virtual Real Heart; and Mila, which also received Digital Ventures Audience Choice award, a recognition that includes a $1,000 prize and advisory services from BCG Digital Ventures. More about the 10 semi-finalists here.
At CHLA Demo Day, up to three teams will be chosen as finalists, each receiving up to $15,000 in seed grants, plus the opportunity to pilot their products at CHLA. In addition, the finalists will receive the opportunity have their product introduced at HLTH, one of the nation’s largest health innovation conference, taking place in October in Las Vegas.
“The hackers’ passion for gamification in healthcare is truly inspirational,” says Nate Beyor, Partner at BCG Digital Ventures. “Teams shared a range of prototypes, from administrative support all the way to regulated digital therapeutics, and with this breadth of opportunities, there is no doubt that VR/AR will play a role in the hospitals of our future.”