The Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation is hosting its sold-out Medical Innovators’ Challenge competition next Wednesday.
Five finalist teams will present their creative projects that are aimed at improving healthcare in New Brunswick.
The teams will present solutions, including robotics to assist nurses, AI tools to detect heart conditions, and embedding healthcare workers in schools.
Other initiatives focus on housing options for patients experiencing homelessness after hospitalization.
Two awards will be presented. The top prize, the $500,000 David Elias CHS Health Care Innovation Award, recognizes projects that bring innovative and impactful solutions to healthcare. The second prize is the $100,000 Community Impact Award.
Shannon Hunter, CEO of the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation, explained that the winners will be decided by live audience voting for the first time.
“At the end of the day, this is their community and their hospital,” Hunter said.
“It’s fitting that they have a say in what innovations they want to see moving forward.”
CEO Shannon Hunter said she was surprised by how fast tickets sold out.
“Within two weeks, we had to take down the purchase tickets,” Hunter said.
Hunter also spoke about the importance of the David Elias award, which was renamed this year to honour his contributions.
“David has always been involved in shaping the challenge,” she said.
“He ensured we were advancing projects that are impactful, sustainable and make a difference for patients here in New Brunswick.”
Since the competition began in 2017, and after this year’s event, they will have raised around $3 million to fund healthcare innovation.
Hunter reflected on the event’s success, noting it was the first large audience since before the pandemic.
She explained that the rapid sellout highlighted the demand for the event and revealed plans to adapt in the future. The Foundation is now considering larger venues for next year.
Hunter said this year’s event combines everything they have learned from past years to create the best version yet.
The event will bring together over 230 people, with finalists, sponsors, and community members all coming together to support better healthcare.
