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CIMIT Student Prize for Primary Healthcare

The CIMIT Student Prize for Primary Healthcare is a national competition open to graduate and undergraduate engineering students from accredited engineering programs.

5.11.11 ANNOUNCEMENT: Full Proposal submission instructions will be emailed directly to Finalists

2011 CIMIT Prize for Primary Healthcare — Finalists Selected

Page last updated: 2/9/2011

The CIMIT Student Prize for Primary Healthcare is a national competition open to graduate and undergraduate engineering students from accredited engineering programs. The competition seeks ideas for technologic innovations with great potential to support and catalyze improved delivery of healthcare at the frontlines of medicine.  The top three student entrants (individuals or teams) will receive $150,000, $100,000 and $50,000, respectively*, to help advance their winning clinically-relevant, primary care solutions. The initial step in this Prize process is CIMIT's selection of ten Finalists from all submissions received by January 17, 2011. Each Finalist will be funded with $10,000 to advance their concept to a full submission, due in June. The three major prize winners will then be selected from those ten final submissions. CIMIT’s goal in offering these major awards is to encourage engineering students to develop technological innovations that have great potential to enhance delivery of primary healthcare. Student collaboration and team submissions are strongly encouraged.

Timeline for the award process:

January 4, 2011:             Submission process opens
January 17, 2011:          Letters of intent due
February 9, 2011:         Ten finalists announced
May 31, 2011:                  Final proposals due
June 30, 2011:                Announcement of first, second and third prize winners

This CIMIT Student Prize is made possible because of a generous gift from the Gelfand Family Charitable Trust, which will support the competition annually over the next five years.

* The funds will be transferred to the student(s) home institution for appropriate dispersal.

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.

Past Winners and Finalists

2010 CIMIT Prize for Primary Healthcare Winners, their schools and projects are as follows:

$150,000 First Prize:
Mark Hartman, Cornell University
Title: "Rapid multiplexed detection of pathogens with DNA nanobarcodes"

$100,000 Second Prize:
George Lewis, Cornell University
Title: "Wearable Low-intensity Ultrasound Therapy for Osteoarthritis: Technology Development and Clinical Evaluation"

$50,000 Third Prize:
Ming-Zher Poh, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Title: "Webcam-based Technology for Non-contact, Multi-Parameter Physiological Measurements"

Read announcement.

The 2010 ten student finalists:

Peter Backeris, Stevens Institute of Technology
Title: "Digital Triage Assistant"

Jonathan Baran, University of Wisconsin Madison
Title: "EMRViz: A patient-centered, problem-oriented EMR visualization package"

Ryan Chang, Johns Hopkins University
Title: "Invention of non-invasive method and apparatus to deliver diagnostic devices into the gastrointestinal tract."

Nicholas Chen, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Title: "Improving Everyday Health Through Continuous Personal Instrumentation"

Mark Hartman, Cornell University, ($150,000 First Prize Winner)
Title: "Rapid multiplexed detection of pathogens with DNA nanobarcodes"

Syed Imaad, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Title: "Health Diagnostic Compact Disc (HDCD)"

George Lewis, Cornell University ($100,000 Second Prize Winner)
Title: "Wearable Low-intensity Ultrasound Therapy for Osteoarthritis: Technology Development and Clinical Evaluation"

Debkishore Mitra, University of California Berkeley
Title: "Sepsis Diagnostics using iMDs"

Muzaffer Yalgin Ozsecen, Northeastern University
Title: "Synchronized Blood Pressure Measurement Device"

Ming-Zher Poh, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
($50,000 Third Prize Winner)
Title: "Webcam-based Technology for Non-contact, Multi-Parameter Physiological Measurements"

2009 CIMIT Prize for Primary Healthcare Winners, their schools and projects are as follows:

$150,000 First Prize:
John Moore, MIT
Title: “Collaborative Technology for Primary Care: Teamwork anywhere at any time.”

$100,000 Second Prize:
Matthew Connor, Princeton University
Title: “iAbetics Web 2.0 diabetes management system.”

$50,000 Third Prize : 
(Two projects tie and will split its $50,000 award)

Richard Henrikson, University of California, Berkeley
Title: “Versatile, rapid and inexpensive molecular detection through modular aptazyme-mediated signal transduction in a microfluidic device.”

Ming Jack Po, Columbia University
Title: “Therapeutic gaming for autistic children.”

Read announcement.

The 2009 ten student finalists:

Brant Chee, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Title: “Automation extraction of drug regimens and outcomes from health messages.”

Winnie Cheng, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Title: “My medical elephant; Improving medical history reliability.”

Matthew Connor, Princeton University ($100,000 Second Prize Winner)
Title: “iAbetics Web 2.0 diabetes management system.”

Sanna Gaspard, Carnegie Mellon University
Title: “Development of a diagnostic instrument for early-stage pressure ulcers (bed sores).”

Richard Henrikson, University of California, Berkeley
($50,000 Third Prize Winner - Two projects tied and split its $50,000 award)
Title: “Versatile, rapid and inexpensive molecular detection through modular aptazyme-mediated signal transduction in a microfluidic device.”

Sarah Jeffords, Texas A & M University
Title: “Digital camera-coupled ophthalmoscope.”

Erez Lieberman, Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology program
Title: “iShoe Insole.”

John Moore, MIT, ($150,000 First Prize Winner)
Title: “Collaborative Technology for Primary Care: Teamwork anywhere at any time.”

Ming Jack Po, Columbia University
($50,000 Third Prize Winner - Two projects tied and split its $50,000 award)
Title: “Therapeutic gaming for autistic children.”

Kurt Qing, Northwestern University
Title: “KMC ApneAlert.”

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.

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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.

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