Neovations Bench to Bedside

In NEOMED’s NEOvations Bench to Bedside competition, students and professionals collaborate to develop medical innovations from concept to prototype. Open to all disciplines, this journey culminates in a showcase for judges and investors. Top teams earn prizes ranging from $10,000 to $1,000 to invest in their innovations.

Nurture your entrepreneurial mindset

Our seven-month NEOvations Bench to Bedside competition unites students, medical professionals, industry experts and investors to address patient needs through medical technology design. Teams collaborate to take innovative concepts from idea to real-world application, gaining hands-on experience in every phase of development.

Turn bold ideas into tangible solutions

Participants don’t just brainstorm; they engage in the full process of medical technology development. Students from diverse disciplines—medicine, engineering, business and other fields —work together, identifying patient needs and developing solutions. With guidance from mentors in law, business and health care, teams move from concept to prototyping, intellectual property protection and market evaluation.

Who can participate in Bench to Bedside?

Students: Bench to Bedside is open to undergraduate and graduate students in any discipline from any college or university. No prior experience is required Participants can join as individuals or teams. Introductory sessions allow students to interact and form their teams. Early involvement allows for more time to develop a prototype. Express interest by completing this form.
Teams in recent years have come from Northeast Ohio Medical University, Kent State University, University of Akron, Youngstown State University, Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University, University of Utah, among others.
Professionals: Clinicians, lawyers, engineers and entrepreneurs are invited to participate as mentors, advisors or judges. Interested professionals can contact Dr. Fayez Safadi at [email protected] for more details.

Ready for the next step?

Students

I want to participate in Bench to Bedside

Participant toolkit

Looking for templates, the participation-agreement document and more? Go to our participant toolkit.

Future mentors, advisors or judges

Dr. Fayez Safad

fsafadi@neomed.edu

Recent winners Congratulations to the 2025 NEOvations Bench to Bedside awardees!

First place | $10,000

Wrap Star is a reversible, color-changing gauze and wrap that senses humidity to enhance wound care monitoring.

Team members: Sarah Kassis, Ramah Kassis, Falasha Mahdevia, Sofia Perez, Surbhi Srinivas, Emma Dang and Sarah Mirza.
Mentor: Deepak Kurian Ozhathil, M.D., MUSC Children’s Health.

Wrap Star also won the People’s Choice Award and $1,000 more.

Second place | $5,000

Ignite Recovery Burn Dressing Outer Covering is a covering for burn wound dressings developed to reduce pain and maximize patient comfort.

Team members: Andrew Martin (University of Akron), Hailey Essinger (UAkron) and Matt Flaker (UAkron)
Mentors: Justin Baker, Ph.D., Ohio State College of Medicine, and Nicole Bernal, M.D., Ohio State Wexner Medical Center

Third place | $2,500

NEOFlow is a device to improve flow in dialysis.

Team members: Adam Grden, Sameer Parashar and Nafees Sathik.
Mentors: James Keszenheimer, Ph.D., M.B.A., NEOMED, and Rupesh Raina, M.D., NEOMED and Akron Children’s Hospital

Legacy Team Award | $1,000

AccessiChart (pictured)

Team members: Kayla Johnson, Brigid Devine, and Morgan Smith
Mentor: Katherine Wolfe, D.O., FACOG, Akron Children’s Hospital

The Wound Reel

Team members: Meredith Farrell, Abigail Schwenk, Yena Kong, Varun Raja and Jack McCarthy
Mentors: Fayez Safadi, Ph.D., NEOMED, and Adam Goodwill, Ph.D., NEOMED

By the Numbers

5

Patents submitted

4

Startup companies created

86

Participants in the 2024 competition

Thank you!

We thank our sponsors and partners for their continued support and participation.

Clinical Partners

Akron Children’s Hospital
Akron General Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic
Summa Hospital System
University Hospitals

Academic Partners

Cleveland State University
Kent State University
Northeast Ohio Medical University
Ohio State University
University of Akron
Youngstown State University