Six projects received funding to support testing or implementation over a target time frame of 12 to 18 months.
Last summer, University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) joined University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) in its second annual UMMC Innovation Challenge. Building off UMB and UMMC's shared values of excellence and innovation, the competition seeks ideas for improved solutions and novel practices that advance health outcomes for patients, families, or team members located on UMMC's Downtown and/or Midtown Campuses.
Up to six projects are selected each year, with three awards of up to $25,000 and three awards of up to $125,000. The funding supports each team as they work to test or implement their innovation over a target time frame of 12 to 18 months.
This year's partnership with UMB garnered a large number of applications from multidisciplinary and collaborative teams, creating the most competitive selection process to date.
After a four-month review period, six submissions were selected.
$125,000 Awards
- Awardee No. 1: Development of a CRISPR-based Rapid Diagnostic Test for the Diagnosis of Malaria. Nicole Putnam, PhD, D(ABMM), Feng Jiang, MD, PhD, Sanford Stass, MD, Matthew Laurens, MD, Kristin Mullins, PhD, and Jonathan Jacobs, MD
- Awardee No. 2: Decreased IV Contrast Dose CT Imaging: Meeting the Challenges of IV Contrast Shortages and Reducing Cost and Patient Exposure. Vikas Kundra, MD, PhD, Kristina McElwee, Nikita Rednam, Barton F. Lane, MD, and Guang Li, PhD
- $125,000 Request for Proposal: Digital Transformation
Awardee No. 3: Fast MRI: Making MRIs Faster Using Artificial Intelligence to Improve Patient Experiences and Hospital Efficiency. Paul Yi, MD, Vishwa Parekh, PhD, Peter Kamel, MD, Leo Garcia Zapata, MD, Adway Kanhere, BSE, Pranav Kulkarni, BSE, Michael Toland, and Eliot Siegel, MD
$25,000 Awards
- Awardee No. 1: Hololens Guided Lumbar Puncture. Cha-Min Tang, MD, PhD, Roger Eastman, Sarah Fredrich, Bhavani Kodali, MD, Suzanne Alton, and Paul Bigeleisen, MD
- Awardee No. 2: Implementation of a Pharmacist-led Comprehensive Medication Management Service at the UMMC Midtown Health Center. Ifeanyi Egbunike, PharmD, BCPS, Jeffrey Gerbino, MD, Bonnie Enwezor, PharmD, BCPS, and Alexis Glenn, MS, RN
- Awardee No. 3: Incorporation of a Multi-disciplinary Workflow to Improve Access to Indirect Calorimetry for Critical Need Populations. Stacy Pelekhaty, MS, RD, LDN, CNSC, Rosemary Kozar, MD, PhD, Mary-Anne Purtill, MD, Dino Gaetani, BSHA, RRT, RPFT, Karen Riggin, RD, LDN, CNSC, Alison Winter-Lai, MS, RDN, LDN, and Chris Kircher, MS, RRT-ACCS
Progress reports on the all the teams’ efforts over the next 18 months will be shared on the Innovation Challenge webpage.
On behalf of Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, UMB president, and Bert W. O’Malley, MD, president and chief executive officer of University of Maryland Medical Center and professor of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, congratulations to all the awardees. And a sincere thank you to all of the applicants for their time and effort in applying to the Innovation Challenge, as well as the Selection Committee and Innovation Challenge Leadership for their time and effort. It is inspiring to see all the submissions, demonstrating UMMC and UMB’s shared commitment to using smart, innovative solutions to shape the future of health care. We look forward to offering the Innovation Challenge Awards again next year and working with all of our talented colleagues to better support our care journey!