Big Ideas Thrive at Jefferson Health Hack

Over 300 students, patients, designers, programmers and healthcare providers pooled their creative might at the Jefferson Health Hack, a three-day event to reinvent healthcare access and delivery.

“It’s an environment where big ideas can flourish,” says Robert Pugliese, director of innovation design at Jefferson and Health Design Lab co-founder. “Every year, it amazes me how participants come together and celebrate the unique things they can bring to the table in the name of improving health care for all.”

Twenty-six teams worked together to brainstorm, develop, prototype and fine-tune their concepts along three tracks: Health-Driven Wearables, Redesigning End-of-Life Care and Health by ZIP Code. After the final presentations, a panel of judges selected a winner for each track, with the top three teams receiving $5,000 in funding.

Here’s more on the winners:

AuTherapy: Health-Driven Wearables
AuTherapy would integrate patients’ biometric feedback, such as heart rate, with recordings of a therapist, partner or caretaker guiding them through applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy. This device could empower patients with autism by allowing them to administer ABA therapy to calm themselves and recalibrate their responses in real-time.

MemAR: Redesigning End-of-Life Care 
MemAR would facilitate a person preparing for the end of their life by preserving their memories. The augmented reality platform allows someone to geocache memories and messages that can be shared when loved ones visit special places.

OncMate: Health by ZIP Code
OncMate is a patient-centered assistant that targets vulnerable cancer patients based on social determinants of health. Through the chatbot, patients can use text messaging to help manage symptoms and receive appropriate care when necessary. The tool can assist and engage patients while helping them achieve a better quality of life.

Read more about the Health Hack here.