Rohit Mantena (A&S) and Ben Leslie (ENGR) won first place, and the grand prize of $25,000 for their project, Malleolus. The team's idea was a novel surgical instrument that combines suction and retraction tools into one device while maintaining the retractor's malleable and bendable properties. This innovation both increases surgeon efficiency and effectiveness by reducing surgical duration and reduces surgical risks to patients, all while saving hospitals millions of dollars annually.
The Second-Place winners, which includes a prize of $15,000, and Spirit of Entrepreneurship awardees: were a team consisting of Amogh Vellore (A&S), Sejeal Katiyar, Tanvi Mittal, Andrew Daoud, Sam Lord, and Garrett Martin. Their project, titled noVRel, was creating a neurosurgery-targeted device that aims to improve patient outcomes and reduce surgical time, by condensing bulky, essential surgical tools into a single Augmented Reality headset. You can read more about the winners in PittWire.
Congratulations to this year’s winners!