Innovate 4 Healthcare Challenge

A Facebook-like online platform to improve outcomes for sick babies by better engaging parents in their care won a new entrepreneurship contest by the Smith School’s Center for Health Information and Decision Systems (CHIDS) to showcase innovative solutions in health-care IT.

The platform, developed by a team of Stanford University students, was one of eight finalists reviewed by a panel of judges from the healthcare industry, government and academia on April 20 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. The winning team’s $20,000 first prize includes a potential venture with challenge co-sponsor Johnson & Johnson Services Inc.

CHIDS Director Ritu Agarwal, professor and dean's chair of information systems, said the competition epitomized her center's mission of research, education and outreach. "We drew teams from across the country that worked very hard and energetically on the incredibly important problems of fixing health care and reducing health care costs," she said. "They spent a lot of time developing new ideas and figuring out whether these are monetizable solutions. We believe entrepreneurship and innovation from young minds is the way forward."

By Gregory Muraski