WASHINGTON, January 9, 2013 – Students pursuing degrees toward careers in health, engineering, and computer science could earn a distinctive addition to their resumes by participating in “Go Viral to Improve Health,” a contest that challenges undergraduate and graduate students to create innovative health-related apps and offers $18,000 in prizes.
“Go Viral to Improve Health” is the third annual collegiate challenge sponsored by the Institute of Medicine and National Academy of Engineering to inspire students to work in interdisciplinary teams and transform health data into mobile apps, online tools or games, or other innovative products that solve vexing health problems.
The top prize is $10,000, sponsored by Heritage Provider Network. The second and third place teams will receive awards of $5,000 and $3,000, respectively. Entries will be assessed on their design, usability, and how well they integrate public health data.
Participating teams must consist of between two and five undergraduate and/or graduate students. Multidisciplinary teams including students in health-related fields and computer science/engineering are especially encouraged. Teams must use at least one publicly available, de-identified data set to develop their app. Additional eligibility criteria and terms are spelled out at www.iom.edu/goviral.
Students must register their teams for the challenge by Feb. 27, 2013. Once registered, teams have until 5 p.m. EST on April 17 to submit their apps. Further details about “Go Viral to Improve Health” can be found at www.iom.edu/goviral and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/goviraltoimprovehealth. Questions can be directed to goviral@nas.edu.
The Institute of Medicine and National Academy of Engineering along with the National Academy of Sciences and National Research Council make up the National Academies. They are private and independent nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under a congressional charter granted to NAS in 1863. For more information, visit www.national-academies.org.
Heritage Provider Network Inc. is one of the largest physicians’ groups in the United States, providing medical care to approximately 700,000 individuals. It is on the cutting edge of the accountable care model of health care delivery and is dedicated to quality, affordable health care and putting patients’ wellness first. For more information, visit www.heritageprovidernetwork.com.
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