FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

FAQs FOR LETTER OF INTENT SUBMISSIONS (PRE-PROPOSAL)

1. What is the definition of primary care?
Primary care is “frontline medicine,” and is typically delivered by internists, pediatricians, family practitioners and nurse practitioners. It is usually found in a clinic-based setting. A multi-disciplinary team-based approach to primary care can also include physicians, nurse practitioners, nutritionists, physical therapists and other professionals, collaborating in managing patient-care issues. Note that primary care is increasingly delivered via outreach to the home, workplace, satellite clinics and/or community settings – not just in the traditional “physician’s office” setting. Increased access and convenience are sought in this evolution, and innovative technology can play a significant role in accelerating desired changes in practice patterns.

2. Are international students enrolled in accredited engineering programs outside of the United States eligible to participate?
Unfortunately, the Student Prize for Primary Healthcare is only currently available for accredited programs in the United States. Perhaps in future years we will be able to expand it to international entrants.

3. Can one university or program submit multiple applications?
There is no limit on the number of applications a university or program can submit, however, a student (or student team) can submit only one application.

4. Can a student submit more than one application?
Students or their team can only submit one application, however, there is no limit on the number of applications a university or program can submit.

5. Can a team of students apply or just individual students?
Teams of students are strongly encouraged.

6. Can a student team include students from multiple universities and/or disciplines?
Students can be drawn from multiple universities and disciplines (e.g., medical students), however, the project leader must be an engineering student enrolled in good standing at the responsible institution.

7. Can the team include industry partners?
Only students can be on the team receiving the prize and using the prize money. However advice and/or technical help from industry professionals is acceptable as long as it is consistent with the student team’s institutional policies regarding industry relations.

8. Can the team include faculty members?
Only students can be on the team receiving the prize and using the prize money. However, mentorship by faculty members is certainly acceptable.

9. Can students participate who will graduate during the competition?
The student project leader submitting an entry must be enrolled and in good standing at the responsible institution for the duration of the competition, but the variations of student status of other members of the team is not a concern.

10. What is meant by “the responsible institutional official”?
Institutional Official means an individual at your engineering school with authority to accept responsibility for the stewardship of the funds in accordance with their institutional policies.

11. What information must the institutional letter of support convey?
The Letter of Support simply needs to be on institutional letterhead for verification of authenticity, and needs to affirm three things:

a) that the entrant is a student in good standing in the school,

b) that the institution will accept the responsibilities for oversight of any matters of compliance with regulations and policies,

c) that the institution will disburse the Prize funds, as transferred from the MGH/Partners HealthCare System, for purposes related to the advancement of the project or for direct support of the student or the benefit of the student's career, and will not deduct any indirect-cost amounts, tuition charges, or other fees of any sort.

12. Who retains the rights to any intellectual property generated by a proposal?
Management of intellectual property will be determined by the institutional policies of the entity responsible for the proposal. No rights to intellectual property are retained by the entities administering the award.

13. Should I disclose any unprotected proprietary information in the letter of intent?
Protecting proprietary information is the responsibility of the applicant and the applicant institution. Any intellectual property needing protection should be protected before submission (within the applicant's own institution's processes and policies) or should not be disclosed in the letter of intent, leaving time to protect it later before any public disclosure. A variety of reviewers will be used to select the finalists. They will not be asked to commit formally to non-disclosure agreements because of the volume of material they will be asked to review. Reviewers will be asked to treat conceptual material with the normal discretion asked of peer reviewers of manuscripts or proposals.

14. Can individuals who are not graduate or undergraduate students in engineering programs apply?
Individual applicants, or team leaders in the case of applicant teams, must be graduate or undergraduate students in engineering or technology-related programs. Clinicians may be collaborators. Business-school students or medical students may be team members, but the project leader(s) must be engineering student(s).

FAQs FOR FINALISTS

1. What expenses are allowable?
Any expense that advances the project towards a more advanced and compelling final submission is allowable. For example, these include any expenses for supplies, machine-shop charges, partial stipend support for a student-member of the team, project-related travel, and the like. Expenses must be reimbursed via your institution's check-payment procedures with the assistance of your institutional official who will act as steward of the $10,000 fund the MGH/Partners HealthCare System is providing to them.

2. Should expense receipts be submitted to MGH with the full proposal?
Receipts should be saved as documentation and review according to your own institution's requirements, but need not be submitted to MGH.

3. How should proprietary information be managed?
While the submitted materials will be treated with discretion, MGH, Partners HealthCare System, the APF and CIMIT cannot provide any assurance of confidentiality in accepting them. The administrators use reviewers, for example, in judging merit of the submissions, and while they will also be expected to use discretion they are not bound by any confidential-disclosure agreements. That would be impractical and unrealistic to seek. In fact your submission should be written with the potential of winning a final Prize in mind, and therefore with the understanding that publicity will be appropriate and of value to you in advancing the cause of your project. Even projects that do not win one of the three large prizes may be suitable for wider dissemination and publicity as part of our communication to media about the worthiness of all the entries. Thus information considered proprietary by you and not yet protected by copyright or patent-application processes should not be included in the submission. Functional performance can be described without all the underlying detail of any inventions or proprietary techniques, if those are sensitive material. We will endeavor to consult with all Finalists about any communications it releases in its publicity, but given the tight time-frame between final submission and announcement of the winners, it may not be possible to arrange your review or approval of the text in our announcements. In addition to general publicity, we may see specific opportunities to help you advance your project by connecting you with companies interested in commercializing portions of your work. In that case we will broker your direct contacts with such company(s) if you so desire. As stated in the original announcement of this Prize, any intellectual property remains under ownership of your institution, if so assigned, or of the inventors. The Prize's sponsors will not assert any rights related to the funding we provide.

4. Should the final submission include a budget?
A budget is not required. However, a statement as to the value of the prize to the recipient (either to advance the project or their career) would be a positive addition.

5. Is there a particular format/layout that is preferred for the submission?
There is no specific format/layout that is preferred, except that all text must be in a readable font (at least Arial 11 point) and margins must be at least 0.7 inches. The design of the submission is at the discretion of the finalist.

6. Is there a specific order that the sections must be addressed or is it open for the applicants to provide all of the information in the most compelling way?
The sequencing and approach is at the discretion of the finalist.

7. Should the final submission be more like a scientific write-up or a business write-up to pitch the idea?
The report should provide a compelling justification for the innovation with clear advocacy of the pathway to clinical impact.

8. Can additional sections be added to those listed in the website instructions for the final proposal?
Sections may be added at the discretion of the finalist.

9. Do business financials need to be included in the application?
Business financials do not need to be included in the application. However, any thoughts on the practicality of commercialization are welcome.

10. As we are writing the final proposal, should we address the project as if we are receiving $150,000, $100,000, or $50,000? Since there is a factor of 3 difference between first and third place, certain facets of the project could be accomplished given the largest of the prize monies but not necessarily with the smallest.
Your final entry will be judged based on the work to date (of submission at the end of May), and on its promise for the future within a reasonable time frame, with realistically achievable resources. Don't think specifically about whether it can reach full impact with one particular level of prize money from this competition alone. The judges won't consider that.

11. How do I include video attachments in the final submission?
Any videos you may have of your final projects can be posted to YouTube (or any other video hosting site) and the link included in your final submission. Please opt for the "private" posting option rather than the "public" posting.

 

WHAT IS PRIMARY CARE?

Primary care describes the activity of a health care provider who acts as a first point of consultation for all patients. Continuity of care is also a key characteristic of primary care. Primary care involves the widest scope of health care including all ages of patients, patients of all socioeconomic and geographic origins, patients seeking to maintain optimal health, patients with acute conditions, and patients with chronic diseases. Common chronic illnesses include hypertension, diabetes mellitus, COPD, depression and back pain.

Primary care professionals seek to provide health promotion, disease prevention, health maintenance, counseling, patient education, diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses in a variety of health care settings including office, inpatient, critical care, long-term care, home care, day care, senior center, and clinic.

SAMPLE PRIMARY CARE SCENARIOS

These illustrative primary care examples of patient needs and potential design opportunities are not intended to constrain the opportunity space but to stimulate thought. Applicants should feel free to work from personal experiences and those of clinical collaborators.

1. Health and Wellness: A healthy 24-year-old woman with a sedentary lifestyle and stressful job feels motivated to develop strategies for weight management and long-term health. With her family history of heart disease, diabetes and cancer, prevention is her chief concern. How can technology enable patients to succeed at long-term personalized health management?
   
   
2. Living with Chronic Illness: A 16-year-old girl with insulin-dependent diabetes maintains an active schedule filled with soccer, band, and art. She wears a continuous insulin-infusion pump, frequently checks her blood-glucose levels and carefully plans her diet and activity to maintain her health. How can technology help her manage these complex calculations and support her desire to lead a "normal" adolescent lifestyle?
   
   
3. Mental and Cognitive Health: A 30-year-old male suffered multiple fractures and a traumatic brain injury in a motor vehicle accident two years ago. A multi-disciplinary team continues to work with him to manage physical and cognitive issues; he wants to do more for himself. How can technology enable patients struggling with mental health and cognitive disorders to increase the degree of self-management?
   
   
4. Alternative Care Models: A 48-year-old mother and full-time business executive must frequently disrupt her tight schedule to drive her kids to the physician’s office for evaluation of common childhood ailments, such as sore throats or rashes. These short office visits can take several hours out of her day with travel and wait-time. How can technology enable improved management of routine medical issues in a more convenient home or community setting?
   
   
5. Chronic Disease Management: An 82-year-old widower with hypertension, diabetes, congestive heart failure and arthritis lives alone and wishes to remain independent in his home as long as possible. He is becoming increasingly home-bound and socially isolated. How can technology enable continuous collaborative management of chronic disease by patient and care team, including medication management. How can technology–enabled social networks for peer support and care coordination be leveraged?
   
   
6. Design Your Own Primary Care Need: Using your own personal experience, describe a primary care scenario and the technology challenge your proposal seeks to solve.