A student team of BME juniors wins 2nd place in the PDMA Carolinas student innovation competition with a design concept for a healthcare need that they identified through the BME design classes. The team, consisting of Hannah Myatt (Team Leader), Julia Richard, Lillian Chilton, Clara Stepnova and Matthew Tian, identified the need for improved at-home testing for HPV uptake among women with previous sexual trauma or those with limited access to healthcare.
The judges found their concept innovative, answering the unmet need related to cervical cancer screening. They were also impressed by the team’s understanding of the problem and their market analysis. The team’s BME faculty mentor, Associate Professor Kenny Donnelly, noted that this team of juniors came second to a student team from Clemson who had submitted their senior design project as their entry. Prof. Donnelly further pointed out many of the items highlighted for improvement by the judges are in areas taught in the senior design classes. Indeed, the team hopes to continue to work on this idea for their senior design project starting in the Fall. They also hope to take their idea to the PDMA Global Student challenge in November. Many congrats to Hannah Myatt, Julia Richard, Lillian Chilton, Clara Stepnova and Matthew Tian on this recognition! To learn more about the PDMA Carolinas Student Competition, visit their website here.