The Hackathon Begins: MCPHS Launches Health Innovation Challenge

Teams of students will work to develop innovative, technology-based solutions to real-world challenges identified by local community health centers.

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) kicked off a campus-wide innovation competition on November 13, launching the Hack the Health Gap Innovation Hackathon. The first-of-its-kind program, created in partnership with the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI), will challenge students to create technology-driven solutions for the most pressing challenges facing community health centers across Massachusetts.

“You’re a part of a unique learning journey, one that blends classroom with real life, brings mentorship into your hands, and brings opportunities for you to solve complex healthcare challenges,” Dr. Michael Spooner, Dean of the School of Healthcare Business and Technology, told students at the event.

Five teams of students will step into the role of problem-solvers, developing creative, testable, and scalable solutions to improve the health of communities across the state, particularly in underserved settings. In the spring, the teams will pitch their ideas to a panel of experts and compete for prizes.

“By leveraging cross-disciplinary mentorship and community-informed challenges, this program builds capacity for innovation in the next generation of digital health leaders while delivering tangible impact for the Commonwealth’s safety-net providers,” said Haven Nichols, Digital Health Ecosystem Manager at MeHI.

Twenty-five students from 16 different programs were selected to participate in the hackathon. During the gathering, they met their teammates for the first time.

“As you begin, remember, innovation thrives not in isolation, but in collaboration and working together,” said Dr. Keri Griffin, Dean of the Center for Research and Discovery. “Your ideas will evolve, your confidence will grow, and your ability to navigate the complexity of our systems will strengthen. In the end, we hope that you’ll experience the exhilaration of discovery.”

Each team will be assigned a challenge, identified by leaders at MeHI through their work with healthcare organizations across the state. Their mission is to support the development and implantation of innovative solutions that improve healthcare delivery, operations, and the patient experience.

“Since MeHI was first established, we have worked to develop relationships with healthcare organizations across the state so we can help them implement technologies in meaningful ways,” Keely Benson, Director of MeHI, told student participants. “There is recognition within these organizations that they must embrace technologies to improve the care they provide. You are working on this project at the right time.”

Each student team comprises undergraduate and graduate students, bringing together diverse backgrounds and experiences.

“I’m looking forward to collaborating with other people and going through this process,” said Victor Hugo Rajaee, a first-year dental hygiene student. “One of the most important things in dentistry and healthcare is the patient-provider relationship, so I’m looking forward to exploring how we can maintain those important relationships while using technology to improve care.”

Hang Bui, MBA ’27, worked for a fashion company in Vietnam before deciding to apply her business skills and knowledge to healthcare.

“I came here to use my skills to make a difference, so I’m very aligned with the mission to make healthcare more equitable to help community health workers,” Bui said. “I’m interested to see the extraordinary ideas we come up with.”

Students will have support and guidance from industry experts throughout the hackathon. Each team was also assigned mentors, from founders to healthcare providers, to scholars with ties to institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Several MCPHS alumni also volunteered to be mentors.

Chrylann Lewis, MPH ’21, BSN ’18, is a nurse and Certified Health Education Specialist at Codman Square Health Center. “I hope the students find a sense of community and their own self-worth through this process. They should know they are empowered to make change in a meaningful and powerful way.”

Teams will also attend monthly panels to help them work through their ideas. Topics will include digital health tools and technology, clinical considerations and AI-driven technology, operational innovations to enhance workflow and efficiency, and business strategies for sustainable implementation.

Todd Durniak, MBA, after seeing an announcement about the hackathon from MeHI, volunteered to be a panelist. He has years of executive-level experience in digital health, startups, and consulting, and is excited for the opportunity to help students refine their ideas.

“My best advice is to test, test, and retest the concept with the people who are living the problem you are trying to solve,” he said. “It might accelerate your project, it might take a turn, or force you to completely rethink it. If you don’t test early, you run the risk of going in the wrong direction.”

The hackathon will culminate in the spring, when the student teams will pitch their ideas to a panel of expert judges. It’s also a competition, with cash prizes for students in the top three teams. Participating students are also invited to enroll in an optional course in the spring to supplement their hackathon experience, developing their professional skills and earning academic credit.