At 9:00 am sharp on January 26, students began filing into the B1 Level of SEH for the 2nd annual George Hacks Medical Solutions. This year, more than 80 students formed teams to tackle some of the most challenging problem statements George Hacks has put together. George Hacks partnered with the Veterans Association and collaborated with many local and national organizations, including Quality of Life Plus, OpenEMR, and the GW Hospital, to present students with current challenges ranging from prosthetic modification, to on-campus food insecurity, veteran health care, and much more. Teams presented their solutions in two rounds of judging, one round for technical qualifications and the other to evaluate the product in its intended market. The students exceeded expectations, making the event an absolute success and showcasing George Hacks’ mission of healthcare innovation for social impact.
Awards were presented for:
Best Overall: awarded to team "We're Working On It" for the pitch “Adapting prosthetics for uneven terrain.” Their solution was designed to help a double-leg amputee who wishes to hike outdoors and needs his prosthetics to be able to better adapt to uneven and changing terrain so he doesn’t fall. Team members included: Sydney Bailes (BME), Camille Daszynski (BME), Mateusz Gierdalski (BME), and Jared Kern (MAE).
Best Pitch: awarded to team "Bioelectrics," also for the pitch “Adapting prosthetics for uneven terrain.” Team members included: Lujain Al-Khawi (BME), Karen Rius (BME), Matt Taylor (ECE), and Ji-Eun Kim (BME).
Best Demonstration: awarded to team "Prosthetic Leg Holder for Hand Cycle" for their project of the same name. Team members included: Emily Cheung (BME), Shubham Gupta (BME), Elias Ross Trupin (Anthropology), and Elizabeth Fischer (BME). The team worked find a way to help a veteran attach her prosthetic leg to her hand cycle in a secure fashion that does not get in the way of operating the hand cycle and includes an option for rain protection to protect the electronic portion of the leg.
Demo Round Runner-ups: awarded to team "Avengineers" for the pitch “’Getting Up’ alert for geriatric patients,” which is an alert system that is attachable to a bed and notifies those taking care of a patient that the patient is trying to get out of bed. Team members included: Shirali Nigam (BME), Bianca Karpinecz (BME), Trish Mikolajczyk (BME), and Jillian McGough (BME).