Organizations, irrespective of the scale and size are always on the lookout for smart people who have the urge to do ‘something different’ & ‘solve large-scale problems’. One way to achieve the same is via Hackathons where participants can collaborate & co-create to solve ‘real-life problems’ by deriving ‘usecases’ that would have a bigger impact. A couple of weeks back, we mentioned about the Mylan Hackathon where the pharmaceutical giant invited students, and professionals to collaborate with the in-house team of experts at Mylan to come up with solutions using technologies like Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, etc. The central theme of the Hackathon was #hackforacause in order to build products that promise ‘Better Health for a Better World’. The two-day hackathon on 13th & 14th October was organized at their Bengaluru office.
Though this was a first of its kind Hackathon by any pharmaceutical company, it received a very good response and the participants came up with very good solutions to the 5 challenges that were posted to them
- Simplify Adverse Event reporting for a patient.
- Speed up preliminary diagnosis & early cancer detection.
- Leverage technology to capture patient treatment outcomes.
- Ensure adherence of treatment by a Tuberculosis [TB] patient.
- Track Antiretrovirals [ARV] product until it reaches the consumer.
Summary of the overall proceedings of the Mylan 2018 #hackforacause Hackathon
- More than 550 individuals had registered for the event, from which 62 teams comprising of 252 members were shortlisted for the final challenge that was held on 13th and 14th October 2018.
- The second and the final day had 45 teams finalizing their solutions and presenting them to the panel of judges. Teams were judged on unique parameters like uniqueness, radical thinking, market effectiveness, etc.
- Only 10 teams were shortlisted for the final round after the first round of judging, and the 10 finalists had to present their idea to the judges.
- The innovations and solutions focused on various aspects of technology to solve the five challenges – Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Imaging Science, etc.
Commenting on the initiative, Mylan spokesperson Mr. Rakesh Bamzai, President – India and Emerging Markets said
We are proud to be one of the few pharmaceutical companies in the world to host a hackathon for digital innovation. Initiatives such as these foster engagement and collaboration between students, professionals, and institutions, to develop innovative and cost-effective solutions for real-world health problems and enhance access to affordable medicines. At Mylan, the Hackathon initiative focuses not only on the current challenges in Healthcare but also on developing solutions for the future.
Winners of the Mylan 2018 #hackforacause Hackathon
- In the Professional hackers’ category, team Smart from Atos won the prize money of Rs. 100,000 for their novel solution to adherence of treatment of Tuberculosis patients.
- In the Students Category, the team from Sri Sairam Institute of Technology won the prize money of Rs. 100,000 for its solution for traceability of Mylan’s Antiretroviral [ARV] drugs to the end consumer.
- In the Employees’ category, team Shamiroh won the prize money of Rs. 100,000 for its solution to speed up the preliminary diagnosis and early detection of cancer.
One of the members of the winning team Mr. Ganesh Mahadevan said
This event was an exceptional learning platform for me. It allowed me to interact and collaborate with brilliant like-minded innovators to develop solutions that could have a positive impact on patients and the industry. I believe that anyone who wants to find viable solutions for health problems should participate in the Mylan Hackathon.
From the year 2016, Mylan has been organizing Hackathons in India and globally. Since the inception of Mylan Hackathon, the company has been fueling the push for new creative and innovative solutions in the healthcare segment for patients, payers, providers and other healthcare professionals. This year’s hackathon received a very overwhelming response and the participants came up with innovative solutions that have social, as well as business impact.
#HackForaCause coverage on Social Media
The event was covered extensively on major social media platforms namely Facebook and Twitter under #2018MylanHackathon & #hackforacause. With live event updates, netizens & technology enthusiasts could get first-hand information about the Hackathon.
References – Mylan 2018 Hackathon, Official Press Release