Health Technology Showcase
Overview
Each year, we're impressed by what our students learn and accomplish in Stanford Biodesign’s project-based courses. Their unmet needs are compelling and their nascent solutions are exciting. As a result, many of the teams aren’t ready to stop working on their projects when their classes come to a close.
These motivated teams compete for and are awarded Biodesign NEXT extension funding to continue working on their projects. With mentorship and support from Biodesign, the students derisk their early-stage technologies and business plans, with the hope of ultimately making a difference for patients.
We celebrate their progress at our annual Health Technology Showcase – a gathering where teams share their inventions with other students, faculty, and staff across Stanford. This year, the event featured keynote remarks by Sid Satish, former Biodesign student and Founder/CEO of Gauss Surgical, project presentations, and prizes for the teams.
Learn more about some of this year’s participating teams by exploring the stories below. More profiles will be added soon!
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Improving Treatment for Bladder Pain Syndrome
Bladder pain syndrome is a debilitating disorder that primarily affects women. Although there is no cure, one effective therapy involves an intravaginal injection that is difficult to perform. To help, a team of Capstone students developed a device that helps practitioners achieve the correct injection angle with minimal training.
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Digital Health Solutions for Rheumatoid Arthritis
To help the millions of people who struggle with rheumatoid arthritis, a team of students in the Biodesign Digital Health course developed a remote monitoring system that helps patients manage their condition and improves the effectiveness of provider interventions.
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Support for Parents of Children with Special Needs
Raising a special needs child takes a financial, emotional, and physical toll on parents. To ease the burden, a team from the Biodesign Digital Health course developed an app to help parents access providers, social and educational services, insurers, and peer support.
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An Affordable Way to Prevent COVID-19
To advance the development of an inexpensive nasal drop that can prevent COVID-19, a team of students was asked to find a way to purify antibodies from chicken egg yolks without sophisticated lab equipment. Working with Biodesign mentors, the team found away to use simple materials, like salt, vinegar, and a food processor, to develop a process suitable for low-resource environments.
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Integrating Wellness Services into Student Lives
PhD students experiencing mental health struggles often bypass traditional wellness resources because they don't address the real problem – their overwhelming workloads. A team from the Biodesign Digital Health course addressed this by creating a wellness app that helps students better manage their time and get more support from their academic advisors.
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Preventing Concussion in High-Impact Sports
Sports-related head injuries remain common despite the use of protective helmets. After learning that most helmets are designed to absorb only one of the two types of force that cause most concussions, a team of Biodesign Club students developed a helmet that uses multiple layers to protect against both.
THANK YOU!
On behalf of the Stanford Biodesign team, thank you for all of your hard work this year. We’re inspired by your dedication and enthusiasm, and we wish you the best of luck as you continue these projects and/or tackle other important healthcare needs.
