Medical innovation's next big thing? Bench-2-Bedside Competition uses students to solve complicated medical issues.

• Author: Rogers, Melinda
• Position: TIMEOUT FOR HEALTH

More than 200 University of Utah students on 44 separate teams tackled that question by creating a variety of medical devices for the fourth annual Bench-2-Bedside at the Utah State Capitol recently.

From a produced design to improve sterilization of surgical instruments in developing countries to a computer game aimed at reducing stress levels for psychotherapy patients, ideas and prototypes unveiled at the event presented dozens of opportunities to change the face of medicine.

The Bench-2-Bedside (B2B) program is designed to introduce medical students, engineering students and business students to the world of medical device innovation. Student teams formed into multidisciplinary "start-up" companies and were given the task of identifying an unmet clinical need. Teams had the opportunity to connect with more than 100 University of Utah physicians from a broad area of specialties to serve as their consultants, key opinion leaders and stakeholders.

Teams had six months and a $500 development fund to create medical device concepts. Throughout the six-month ti ME frame, students evaluated the intellectual property landscape, made a prototype for their product and constructed a business plan.

The program culminated at the competition in the State Capitol rotunda, where team projects were evaluated and scored for business strategy, design quality and healthcare impact by a VIP panel of judges.

The top teams were awarded nearly $72,000 in prizes designed to serve as initial funding to support further project development. This year's group of student inventors showcased another round of high-caliber products, many of which are situated to move to the next phase of development following the competition said Patrick Loftus, a University of Utah medical student and student president of B2B. "In a world driven by healthcare innovation, B2B gives completely inexperienced students an opportunity to form a dynamic team composed of business, engineering, and medical students centered on a medical problem. There is currently no better...