Researchers and inventors will get immediate feedback about their projects from leaders in the fields of medical technology research, engineering & development.
Winners will be announced during lunch following the competition on Tuesday.
Grand Prize: Twistomy
Steven Moulton, MD
Twistomy is a continent ostomy device with an effluent-tight conduit and discreet, low-profile outer housing that eliminates the need to always wear a plastic pouch to collect one’s feces, thus providing ostomy patients with sense of a normalcy and autonomy.
Bio: Steve Moulton, MD is a tenured Professor of Surgery at the University of Colorado (CU), School of Medicine and Pediatric Surgeon at Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHCO). He splits his time between CU/CHCO and Ezalife, LLC, a startup company he spun out of CU.
2nd Place: Bimpo Chair
Dane Rustad
Founder
Bimpo Chairs LLC
Abstract: Bimpo Chair innovates the popular folding manual wheelchair with dynamic kneading massage seat motion, to improve comfort and pressure relief, promote circulation & oxygenation, and reduce fatigue from extended sitting and immobility.
Bio: Dane has a BS in Nursing and >15 years experience helping patients in clinical, LTC, and home care settings. Dane has a BS in Electrical Engineering from UMN and has worked in ergonomic, mechatronic, and health product design and R&D.
3rd Place: UltraTracTM
Dori Jones, MSE
Co-Founder & CEO
AcQumen Medical
AcQumen Medical's UltraTracTM combines the ease of use of bioimpedance with the accuracy of ultrasound to offer continuous, noninvasive measurements of cardiac output and other key hemodynamic parameters for critically ill infants and children, as well as data analytics to provide clinician decision support.
Bio: Dori Jones has been supporting cardiac and critical care devices for 18 years. She has a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MSE in Biomedical Engineer and held various roles ranging from R&D to Clinical and Marketing. Prior to co-founding AcQumen Medical, Dori provided strategic consulting to medical device companies including Abbott and Medtronic and an AI ultrasound startup.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) Treatment
Kush Savsani, MBA
Co-Founder & COO
Photona Medical
Abstract: Photona Medical is pioneering a novel approach to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment using precision light delivery. Their solution leverages a safe and well-established contrast agent that selectively accumulates in malignant liver cells. Upon exposure to light, tumor cells initiate cell death, offering a targeted therapeutic effect. To address the challenge of effective light delivery within the body, they have developed a transarterial fiber optic system compatible with existing surgical techniques. Their engineering design is capable of navigating complex hepatic vasculature, utilizing a scalable system that can be applied to broad applications.
Bio: Kush Savsani is a medical student, researcher, and entrepreneur focused on advancing minimally invasive cancer treatments. He studied Biology and Chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) before earning his MBA, combining medicine, engineering, and business strategy to drive innovation in surgical oncology. He has co-authored over a dozen peer-reviewed publications on oncology, transplant surgery, and clinical outcomes. As a researcher at the VCU Hume-Lee Transplant Center, he has worked extensively on advanced surgical and therapeutic approaches to hepatobiliary diseases. Prior to co-founding Photona Medical, Kush led translational research initiatives bridging biomedical engineering with clinical applications. At Photona Medical, he works alongside Dr. Seung Duk Lee, a leading transplant surgeon, and their engineering partner Dr. Nathaniel Kinsey, an expert in optics and photonics.
PADSSY
Risa Pollak, Wangari Mbuthia, Maha Essaidi, and Fadel Batal
Founders
PADSSY
PADSSY, the Peripheral Artery Disease Screening System, is an integrated first-line tool for PAD screening in primary care settings. First, PADSSY leverages machine learning to assess patient data to flag high risk and aysmptomatic patients and remove the initial screening responsibility from physicians. Second, PADSSY’s low cost and portable device measures flagged patients’ABI and SPO2 gradient to bring PAD diagnosis into primary care offices to prevent patient dropoff.
Bio: Risa Pollak, Wangari Mbuthia, Maha Essaidi, and Fadel Batal are undergraduate seniors pursuing BSEs in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania. They share an interest in developing novel medical devices and have experiences spanning industry R&D and academic research.
