Registration is now open for OSU Rural Health Innovation Weekend

Monday, October 10, 2016

Registration is now open for Oklahoma State University’s second annual Rural Health Innovation Weekend to be held Nov. 4-6 at the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center on the Stillwater campus.

Hosted by the OSU Center for Health Systems Innovation (CHSI), the event brings health care professionals together with entrepreneurs and innovators, including engineering, computer science, and information technology experts, to create solutions to challenges facing rural health and health care. By pairing field experts with those skilled in developing and building proposed responses to identified needs, start-up weekends have for years successfully cultivated cutting-edge approaches to addressing the needs of various industries.

“CHSI is excited to bring this event to Stillwater, which is a hub of rural health care for many communities,” said William Paiva, CHSI executive director. “We welcome individuals, professionals, and administrators from the surrounding area, the region, and the nation to participate in this exciting, open-architecture weekend. Last year’s event brought together 91 participants from five states who developed 10 prototypes and products, with three currently entering the marketplace.”

The event begins at 5 p.m. Nov. 4, with dinner and keynote speaker, Dr. Steve North, accomplished rural health innovator and national telemedicine expert. Marie Moran, Stanford University-trained design-thinking consultant whose clients have included Boeing, Google, 3M, and health care entities, will lead a brainstorming workshop later that evening.

The weekend culminates on Sunday with final team presentations at noon followed by judging. Awards for the top three most innovative and promising solutions will be announced at 2 p.m. Cash prizes consist of $3,000 for first place, $2,000 for second place, and $1,000 for third place.

The event is free for OSU students and $50 for all others and includes food, mentoring, and the opportunity to transform health and health care in rural communities. OSU faculty and staff are encouraged to attend.

Situated at the intersection of the OSU Spears School of Business and the OSU Center for Health Sciences, the CHSI began operating in 2013 with the mission of implementing data analytic and clinical tools and models to transform rural and Native American health.