Over 200 students, faculty, health professionals, and industry partners attended the ninth annual EIH Spring Symposium to appreciate students’ latest projects in health innovation on May 31. 

Nine teams comprised of undergraduate and graduate engineering students presented technical solutions to unmet clinical needs. The health challenges were proposed by clinicians from UW Medicine, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and Swedish Medical Center – with one project sponsored by Philips.  

The symposium’s keynote speaker was Shashi Buluswar, CEO of Global Health Labs, who reflected on the state of tech innovation for underserved communities. His speech was followed by lightning pitches by each EIH team. 

“It’s really heartwarming to see a lot of young people making an early start in addressing global unmet needs,” Buluswar said on stage.  

Jia Ling Chan, an electrical engineering student and a member of SnoozeControl, said the symposium was both rewarding and educational. Not only could she present her team’s prototype to a large audience, but she could also talk to potential investors and sponsors to learn about the business side of the health industry.  

Moreover, the symposium was also the “perfect wrap-up” to a hard-working year, Chan said. Being part of EIH, which connected her to a network of health professionals, helped her see the next steps of her career. 

“EIH was a really great program to meet with clinical mentors and patients and see what engineering solutions can come about,” Chan said. “It also encouraged me to pursue a career in medicine.” 

While EIH has a focus on health innovation, the program’s interdisciplinary network exposes students to industry professionals, helping them sharpen their business acumen. Prior to the symposium, several EIH teams spent hours finessing their pitches and ultimately won several grand prizes at business competitions.  

Both CathConnect and inSTENT Connection collectively won $27,500 at the Dempsey Startup Competition, while CathConnect, inSTENT Connection, and EquinOx took home $35,000 at the UW Hollomon Health Innovation Challenge. 

“The EIH Symposium brings together leaders in health innovation, health professionals from a multitude of specialties, and representatives from local medtech companies to meet with highly motivated and passionate students. It’s the perfect storm for innovation and impact,” said Soyoung Kang, EIH Executive Director and Assistant Teaching Professor of Mechanical Engineering. 

The teams that presented were EquinOx, SnoozeControl, EZXS, PushStart, ensuriNG, CathConnect, ImPulse, inSTENT Connection, and NIMBUS.  

The 2022 EIH Spring Symposium was sponsored by Tegria Services Group, Inc.  

Photos by Matt Hagen.