MedSprint 2023 - Biomedical Engineering Design-a-thon

Patient-Centred Design-a-Thon

Create innovative and personalized solutions for individuals in the GTA community!

Saturday, March 18, 2023 - Sunday March 19, 2023
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Sidney Smith Hall @ University of Toronto
100 St George St, Toronto, ON M5S 3G3

The People Behind It All:

As a team, you will choose a Community Partner to design a solution for. Each Community Partner will tell you about themselves and ways they would like to improve their daily life. After choosing one Community Partner to focus on, your goal is to come up with an idea that addresses a specific problem they face.

Cerebral Palsy

Looking for solutions to modify his walker and improve kitchen accessibility.

Dormant MS with Natural Aging

Looking for solutions that can help with balance, fatigue and safely transporting items.

Relapsing/Remitting MS

Looking for solutions that can help with writing or outdoor activities.

How It Works

A breakdown of the competition:

Individual or Team Registration

To secure your spot in the competition, register today! You can sign up as an individual or if you already have a team in mind, include the name of your team mates on the registration form.

Meet the Community Partners

Learn about the offered challenges and decide on one Community Partner to focus on.

Team Registration Deadline

Find other like-minded individuals to work with for the competition. After deciding on a team and Community Partner, teams will be allowed to officially register.

Concept Generation

Brainstorm and come up with a design! Create some sketches and have fun :)

Judging

Each team will create a powerpoint presentation and present their design to a panel of judges.

Presentation of Prizes

The best solution for each Community Partner will be awarded $300. Additional prizes are available to be won!

Meet our Judging Panel

Erica Floreani

Biomedical Engineering
University of Toronto

PhD Candidate

I am a biomedical engineering doctoral student researching brain-computer interface (BCI) systems and other alternative access technologies for children with disabilities. I am passionate about using modern-day advances in machine learning, neurotechnology and computer science to create new solutions for children and adults with disabilities to increase their independence and participation. I previously completed my master’s degree at the University of Toronto with the PRISM Lab and worked for several years as a research engineer at the BCI4Kids lab at the University of Calgary.

Nevena Musikic

Biomedical Engineering
University of Toronto

PhD Candidate

Stefanie Bradley

Biomedical Engineering
University of Toronto

Doctoral Researcher

Stefanie is an interdisciplinary doctoral scientist studying the effects of gait rehabilitation using a robotic exoskeleton for children with cerebral palsy. Her MSc investigated neuroregeneration in geckos; she examined dynamic aspects of the central and peripheral nervous systems following appendage loss and spinal cord rupture. She is interested in the intersection between neuroscience and biomechanics, and functional neurorestoration applied to movement disorders.

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Guijin Li

Biomedical Engineering
University of Toronto

PhD Candidate

I’m a fourth year PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering at UofT supervised by Prof. José Zariffa. I grew up in China, and completed my undergraduate studies in North Carolina, US also in Biomedical Engineering. After working in a neurorehabilitation lab briefly in Chicago, I moved to Toronto for PhD training in 2019. Currently, I am exploring how to help physiotherapists deliver functional electrical stimulation therapy more effectively to improve arm and hand functions for individuals with neurological disorders like spinal cord injury and stroke.
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