The American Heart Association Center for Health Technology & Innovation has selected five finalists in its 6th annual Health Tech Competition. Through the competition, the Association, a global force for healthier lives for all, aims to drive technology innovation and foster advancements with the potential to transform the landscape of heart and brain health.
The Association's Health Tech Competition is an annual forum for technology innovators to showcase new health-related solutions for the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Winning ideas involve, engage or support patient treatment and solve a pervasive problem in antithrombotic, coronary artery disease/acute coronary syndrome, cardiometabolic, electrophysiology, heart failure, hypertension, imaging, lipids, resuscitation, stroke, surgery or vascular medicine. The Health Tech Competition is supported by the Laerdal Million Lives Fund and produced by the American Heart Association, the world's leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all.
These finalists will present their innovative technologies during the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions, the premier global event for advancements in cardiovascular science and medicine. Final presentations will take place before a panel of expert judges in Philadelphia Nov. 11-12:
- Ainthoven, based in Melbourne, Florida;
- CardieX, based in Naperville, Illinois;
- Cardiosense, based in Chicago;
- PyrAmes, based in Cupertino, California; and
- RCE Technologies, based in Carlsbad, California.
The judges will evaluate the presentations on:
- Validity: how well the working prototype or product functions in the consumer market;
- Scientific rigor: how well the validation research uses evidence-based health research; and
- Impact: to what extent the product improves patient outcomes through innovative technology.
The competition winner will be selected and announced on Nov. 13. American Heart Association national volunteer, TV personality and legal expert Star Jones will join the panel of judges for the second year.
The winner will receive membership to the Center for Health Technology & Innovation Innovators' Network, a global consortium that connects entrepreneurs, providers, researchers and payers. Innovators' Network members also have access to the Association's digital guidelines, recommendations and best-in-class science to support development of digital health care technologies. Members collaborate by building and sharing models for clinical outcome studies, lowering the significant cost of developing those studies independently, among other activities.
"The Center aims to advance the rapid, efficient and effective development of health care technology," said Robert A. Harrington, M.D., FAHA, volunteer past president of the American Heart Association (2019-2020), chair of the Association's Health Tech Advisory Group for the Center and the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine and provost for medical affairs of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
