Planning an innovation marathon at an infectious disease conference with results from the International Meeting on Emerging Diseases and Surveillance 2016 Hackathon

John W. Ramatowski; Christopher Xiang Lee; Aikaterini Mantzavino; JoÃ£o Ribas; Winter Guerra; Nicholas D. Preston; Eva Schernhammer; Lawrence C. Madoff; Britta Lassmann

International Journal of Infectious Diseases (Dec 2017)

Planning an innovation marathon at an infectious disease conference with results from the International Meeting on Emerging Diseases and Surveillance 2016 Hackathon

John W. Ramatowski,
Christopher Xiang Lee,
Aikaterini Mantzavino,
JoÃ£o Ribas,
Winter Guerra,
Nicholas D. Preston,
Eva Schernhammer,
Lawrence C. Madoff,
Britta Lassmann

Affiliations

John W. Ramatowski: International Society for Infectious Diseases, Brookline, MA, USA
Christopher Xiang Lee: MIT Hacking Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; HarvardâMIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
Aikaterini Mantzavino: MIT Hacking Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; HarvardâMIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
JoÃ£o Ribas: MIT Hacking Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Biomaterials Innovation Research Center, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Womenâs Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; HarvardâMIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
Winter Guerra: MIT Hacking Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
Nicholas D. Preston: Epidemico, Inc., Boston, MA, USA
Eva Schernhammer: Department of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Womenâs Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Lawrence C. Madoff: International Society for Infectious Diseases, Brookline, MA, USA; Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
Britta Lassmann: International Society for Infectious Diseases, Brookline, MA, USA; Corresponding author.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 65
pp. 93 – 97

Abstract

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A hackathon is best described as an âinnovation marathonâ. Derived from the words âhackingâ and âmarathonâ, it brings together multidisciplinary teams to collaborate intensely over a short period of time to define a problem, devise a solution, and design a working prototype. International scientific meetings are conducive to successful hackathons, providing an audience of expert professionals who describe challenges and ensure the proposed solutions address end-user needs. Collaborations with local organizations and academic centers are crucial to attracting complementary specialties such as IT advisors, engineers, and entrepreneurs to develop sustainable projects. The core process of first identifying and deconstructing a problem followed by solution iteration is applicable to challenges at workplaces around the world. Ultimately, this model can be used to drive innovation and catalyze change in the global health community. The planning, execution, and outcomes of a hackathon event organized in conjunction with the International Meeting on Emerging Diseases and Surveillance (IMED 2016) are described in this article. Physicians, public health practitioners, veterinarians, IT professionals, engineers, and entrepreneurs came together for 2Â days to develop solutions at the intersection of emerging infectious diseases and climate change. Projects that resulted from the IMED 2016 Hackathon included environmental impact assessment software for humanitarian organization relief efforts; enhanced communication tools to prevent disease outbreaks; a participatory mobile application to speed the elimination of rabies in Indonesia; integrated disease surveillance platforms; and an improved search function for infectious disease outbreak reports in the ProMED-mail network. Keywords: Hackathon, Innovation, Infectious diseases, Public health, Medical meeting, Interdisciplinary, Emerging infectious diseases

Published in International Journal of Infectious Diseases

ISSN: 1201-9712 (Print); 1878-3511 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Infectious and parasitic diseases
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/international-journal-of-infectious-diseases/

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