Spring 2026
Competition
On February 21, 2026, teams competed to provide solutions for Rural Maternal Workforce Shortage & Health Technologies.
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This years event was held in person at Raytheon Amphitheater, Northeastern University. ​
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The Spring 2026 competition was sponsored by Northeastern's College of Science, Northeastern's Bouvé College of Health Sciences, and Massachusetts eHealth Institute.
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First Place:
Simran Sethi, Ishan Joshi, Shourya Yadav​
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SiMSAI is an SMS-based AI health companion built specifically for low-income marginalised patients with epilepsy. It works on any phone, in any language, at zero cost to the patient. The platform facilitates medical adherence, epilepsy management, risk analysis, and caregiver and provider coordination, all while addressing linguistic and cognitive barriers.
Second Place
Aanya Gupta, Alina Skrabacz, Celine Chreiha
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EpiBridg3 is a school-based health coordination platform designed to support students with epilepsy. Partnering with public school systems, the platform connects parents, educators/school nurses, and students through a secure interface that centralizes epilepsy resources. Funded through grants and sponsorships and later through various partnerships, EpiBridg3 reduces financial burden on public schools and parents while creating a simple yet missing platform in the lives of children with epilepsy. By strengthening the support system around each child, EpiBridg3 ensures students with epilepsy are understood and empowered to succeed.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER​
Mark Slater
Chief Operating Officer & Executive Director of Otherside​
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Mark is an award-winning writer, strategist, and agency leader with over 20 years of experience building brands across industries and media. He has led creative campaigns for hundreds of healthcare organizations, from startups to Fortune 10 companies. A person with epilepsy himself, he serves on the board of the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium and is a leading advocate for a National Plan for Epilepsy. He leads two agencies: Slate of Mind (healthcare marketing) and Otherside, the first agency dedicated exclusively to epilepsy and neuroscience branding. In 2025, he launched the Otherside Lounge, a global pop-up initiative connecting people living with epilepsy.