Hackathons, the high-octane,
all-night problem-solving sessions popularized by the software-coding
community, are making their way into the more traditional world of health care.
At Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a recent event
called Hacking Medicine's Grand Hackfest, attracted more than 450 people to
work for one weekend on possible solutions to problems involving diabetes, rare
diseases, global health and information technology used at hospitals. Winning
teams in each category won $1,000, as well as access to the hackathon’s
sponsors for advice and pilot projects.
Zen Chu, a senior lecturer in health-care innovation and
entrepreneur-in-residence at MIT, and one of the founders of Hacking Medicine,
said more than a dozen startups conceived since the first hackathon, in 2011,
are still in operation. Some received venture capital funding.
This is an inspired, awesome idea, which is
long-overdue. Brainstorming among
the countries greatest minds to find solutions to health care issues may well
lead to faster progress in developing treatments and cures. Bravo MIT!
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