March 20 – 22, CIC @4240. This past weekend the Skandalaris Center’s first ever Healthcare Hackathon successfully ended its first run with seven unique teams presenting their ideas. With a focus on translational science in medicine and healthcare, teams aimed to ‘hack’ the best practices and products from other industries to see if they could be repurposed to address challenges in healthcare & medicine.

Using already well-known platforms as a basis for each idea, here is a quick look at what each team decided to “hack”:

If TrueCar can do it…Why not a healthcare cost comparison platform? The solution was ClearHealth
If Mint.com can do it…Why not a comprehensive personalized health recommendation platform? The solution: MyDash
If Mockaroo can do it…Why not an anonymous patient data supplier? – The solution: b-Data
If Facebook can do it…Why not a patient-centered timeline? The solution: CareFeed
If iCloud can do it…Why not a universal platform for medication reconciliation? The solution: PharmaBase
If Netflix can do it…Why not an automated personalized dietary recommendation engine? The solution: SnapPEAS
If Siri can do it…Why not a personalized dietary assistant? The solution: My.BFF

More about these ideas will be published in our “IdeaBook” coming soon, and shared with companies who may wish to work with the teams to advance their ideas.  In a friendly competition My.BFF was declared the winner, and will receive dinner out with mentors and potential investors. The team will also be showcasing their venture in an upcoming health event on campus.

It’s safe to say, our healthcare hackathon attracted a diverse mix of people, ranging from WUSTL engineering undergrads to graduate students from Brown School of Social Work, to MD-PhDs at Washington University School of Medicine, as well as students from the greater St. Louis community.  After a quick speed dating round on Friday night, the teams formed and began working, helped by mentoring and workshop sessions throughout the day on Saturday.  “The member-mentor interactions were so valuable – the event’s focus on small group allowed for an in-depth engagement, especially with the mentors,” said Ashish, PMBA Class 36 from Olin Business School.

Our thanks to all who attended, to our Saturday presenters Chris Schlanger, Jay Weaver, Bill Powderly, Lorie Damon, and David Butler, and to our sponsors BJC, Asteris, LLC, Platfora, and of course to the CIC @4240 for their wonderful collaborative space.

Please watch out for our post-event updates. If you missed us this year, we look forward to seeing you at our next event! ​

Esther Koh, WUSTL junior and Rosemary Gliedt, center manager contributed to this post.