News from Mass Digital Health - October 2021 |
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MeHI, Lever Announce Finalists for the first Massachusetts Digital Health COVID-19 Recovery Challenge |
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MeHI, the Massachusetts eHealth Institute at MassTech, and Lever recently announced the eight finalists for the first Massachusetts Digital Health COVID-19 Recovery Challenge, a new program meant to identify and grow digital health tools that will help drive economic recovery from the pandemic. The Challenge is focused on finding solutions to help unpaid family caregivers manage caregiving tasks that were exacerbated by the pandemic and more easily return to work. The program is sponsored by MeHI and supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration and the SPRINT Challenge Grant program.
The finalists are:
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Beeyonder of Wayland, a guided virtual travel platform designed to offer experiences to people with disabilities or other circumstances that make travel impossible;
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Cigna Caregiver in Newton is an intrapreneur app project by Cigna which offers concierge-level coaching and resources for caregivers, including counseling and planning, chronic condition management, and community resources;
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Dear Mémé of Boston, an algorithmically driven provider of activity kits for caregivers and families who care for someone with dementia;
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Lexington's Help Around Town, Inc. is a job board and community marketplace that connects people who want flexible work opportunities with neighbors who need tasks completed;
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Cambridge-based Kinto is a virtual platform that offers caregiver coaching, a personalized e-learning curriculum, and peer support groups;
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Power of Patients in Boston is an innovative, AI-driven telehealth app that collects data from patients or caregivers with the option to connect directly to healthcare providers;
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Beverly's See Yourself Health is a peer-to-peer support platform that connects family caregivers to specialists and other caregivers using VR avatar experiences; and
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Thriving.ai of Boston is an app that brings everyone involved in a senior’s healthcare, social care, informal family care, and professional care together to support independent living.
All eight finalists will participate in a three-month accelerator program run by Lever, including an intensive series of lean startup workshops and tailored mentoring from experts to develop their innovative tool, streamline their business plan, and work on their go-to-market strategy. The finalists will then compete for a total of $250,000 in “tuition” at one of nine R&D centers in MeHI’s Digital Health Sandbox Network, with the winner receiving $100,000 in tuition and $50,000 to the second, third, and fourth runners up. Winners will use the tuition to complete a six-month project with their chosen R&D partner to test and validate their product or service.
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UMass Memorial Launches At-Home Telehealth Program |
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UMass Memorial Health launched a new telehealth program called Hospital at Home in August. This program's goal is to allow patients to stay at home while receiving hospital-level services.
In May, Hospital at Home received funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
The program combines virtual vital-sign monitoring along with in-person visits from doctors. Patients can also elect to have medications and therapy delivered to their homes.
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Congratulations to the START 2021 Winners |
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MassVentures has announced the winners of $3 million in SBIR Targeted Technologies (START) grants and three are digital health companies, all of which have been supported by Mass Digital Health programs such as the Sandbox Program and MassChallenge HealthTech:
Stage 1 Winners:
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DynamiCare Health (Boston) - An evidence-based digital program that helps people overcome addiction to drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, through personal coaching, remote testing, and motivational incentives.
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Leuko Labs Inc., (Boston) - The first non-invasive white cell test, enabling frequent at-home monitoring to improve clinical outcomes and quality of life for chemotherapy patients.
Stage 2 Winners:
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Kinto (Cambridge) - Software enabled care management services for dementia caregivers.
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During the busy fall recruiting season, we want all Mass Digital Health organizations and job seekers to be aware of the
MassDigitalHealth jobs board, a free resource dedicated to open digital health positions at Massachusetts companies. If you are hiring for a Massachusetts based digital health role and do not see your organization listed on our board please contact Paul Bosco (Bosco@masstech.org) .
For job seekers: there's been a steady increase in open positions on our board – particularly for product and sales roles. Below are a few examples of the over 2,600 open roles currently on our board:
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Mass Digital Health Roundup |
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Waltham-based Devoted Health, which focuses on the health and well-being of older Americans, recently closed on a $1.15 billion dollar Round D investment cycle, according to their press release.
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Amwell enhanced its virtual care platform with two acquisitions: SilverCloud Health and Conversa Health.
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Reify Health, a Boston-based software company, announced it raised $220 million in new funding, as it seeks to speed up the recruitment process for patients in clinical trials.
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The publication Psychology Today reported on a new study from MIT and Beth Israel that looks at 'improving EHRs' with artificial intelligence.'
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Massachusetts startup MindMics released new research that their SoundPoint product outperforms even the most advanced electrocardiogram monitoring.
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Cricket Health, based out of both Cambridge and San Fran, secured an $83.5 million Series B funding round after their product demonstrated improvements for key clinical measures for people living with kidney disease.
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Iterative Scopes, a pioneering company aiming to bring cutting-edge precision medicine to gastroenterology, today disclosed that it has closed a $30 million Series A financing.
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Date & Time: October 28th, 1 p.m.
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The Mass. Caregiving Initiative will host speakers from the MA Executive Office of Elder Affairs, SecureSeniorConnections, Greater Springfield Senior Services, Babson, and AARP MA as we explore the downstream health consequences of social isolation and how the innovation ecosystem is responding to address this long-standing crisis. Isolation among older adults in the United States was identified as a looming public health crisis before “social distancing” was ever part of the public vernacular. In recent years there has been stronger and stronger evidence drawing a connection between isolation in the 50+ population and all-cause mortality, increased risk of dementia, and increased risk of heart disease. Tackling a challenge of this magnitude necessitates a broadened definition of innovation – to include innovators in technology, public policy, community support, and healthcare who can address the unique factors that contribute to isolation in this age group.
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New Frontiers in Digital Health
Date & Time: November 1, 8 a.m.
Digital health is reshaping the delivery of healthcare. There is an explosion of investment in new technologies that utilize mobile devices, connectivity, and Big Data to do things we couldn’t have imagined 20-30 years ago.
Dr. Joseph Kvedar, Vice President, Connected Health, Partners HealthCare, will be the keynote speaker. Dr. Kvedar will be joined by Jyotsna Mehta, Founder & CEO, Keva Health, and Shanthi Ramakrishnan, CEO & President, eDevice. Hear from these industry leaders on the trends in digital health technology, investments, and translation to patient care. This virtual event will bring you new insights and be an opportunity for you to share your experiences during a moderated Q&A period open to everyone.
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Discover Brigham 2021
Date & Time: November 3, 1 p.m.
Join virtually as organizers celebrate and promote the work of the Brigham research, discovery, and innovation community at the 10th annual Discover Brigham.
Go behind the scenes of discovery to find out how Brigham investigators are pursuing some of the most pressing questions in science and medicine. Discover Brigham gives the public an opportunity to learn about groundbreaking research and meet the expert investigators who make it all possible. And this year, you can do it all from the comfort and convenience of a computer or smartphone.
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For more events, check out
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