Medical Students Host Healthcare Hackathon with AI

The student organizers of the H2AI event wear matching purple t-shirts and stand together in front of a banner for the event
Georgetown medical students planned H2AI. (All images by Leslie E. Kossoff unless otherwise indicated)

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(March 19, 2025) — Undergraduate and graduate students and recent graduates from around the country journeyed to Georgetown University for a three-day hackathon competition designed to tackle a set of clinical challenges using artificial intelligence.

The Healthcare Hackathon with AI (H2AI), now in its second year, was planned by Georgetown School of Medicine students, and included judges and mentors from across the university.

“H2AI is designed to tackle real health care challenges by bringing together key stakeholders — clinicians, AI scientists, business leaders, patients, and eventually regulatory agents — to align interests and drive AI-powered, practical solutions,” said Yumin Guo (M’26), an H2AI coordinator.

From March 14 – 16 in Fisher Colloquium, more than 160 participants with backgrounds in computer science, mathematics, medicine, business and more teamed up to create innovative and marketable prototypes to address clinical challenges that included neuromuscular monitoring, schedule optimization, call scripts, mental health, pediatrics health education, patient safety challenge and AI-powered compliance. Participants could come with a team or join one when they arrived.

Healthy Competition Generates Innovative Outcomes

Carlo Tornatore, MD, professor and chair of neurology, served as a mentor at the event. He described the hackathon as “amazing.”

“The team picks the scenario that they want to work on, and then for 36 hours, [they] grind it out. They say, ‘Let’s see how we can bring the different tech tools that we know to bear on this problem.’”

Organizers say the 30 teams in this year’s competition hailed from Georgetown, MedStar Health, Johns Hopkins University, Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania, MIT, Howard University and the University of Maryland.

“H2AI 2025 was a tremendous success, with participation soaring 200% from last year!” said Jacqueline Sandling (M’26), an H2AI coordinator. “Many teams are already eager to take their projects further, underscoring the event’s lasting impact. We’re thrilled to build on this momentum for the future.”

Winners received a combined total of $15,000 in prize money, with the grand prize of $5,000 awarded to the team that demonstrated the most innovative, impactful and well-executed solution. This year’s grand prize winner was “Team Rabbit,” comprising students from MIT, University of Pennsylvania and George Mason University. Their project was an innovative approach to reducing fall risk in Parkinson’s patients. It combined immersive VR simulations with AI-driven analytics to assess neuromuscular function and gait in real-world scenarios, such as navigating crowded spaces or executing complex turns.

Supporting a Worthy Cause

Longtime Georgetown supporters Richard and Donna Schena provided funding to support the program. Richard is living with Parkinson’s disease, a focus of a case study in the competition.

“How do you say no [to supporting the program] when you see the people in this room — the depth of brain power?” Richard Schena said. “Those are the people that we are going to have to rely on in the next few years. Anything to do with technology and medicine, Georgetown has our hearts and minds.”

“The Schenas were instrumental in making H2AI 2025 a success,” Sandling said. “Their dedication was invaluable, and we’re incredibly grateful for their support!”

Additional financial support was provided by McDonough School of Business with organizing support from the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative.

Scenes From H2AI 2025

Jacqueline Sandling and Yumin Gao, both wearing purple H2AI T shirts, stand side by side in front of the H2AI banner

Georgetown University School of Medicine students planned H2AI, led by Jacqueline Sandling (M’26) and Yumin Gao (M’26).

Richard Schena speaks from a podium during the hackathon

Longtime Georgetown supporter Richard Schena, who with his wife, Donna, provided funding to support the program, spoke at the Hackathon.

A medical student affixes an electrode to Richard Schena's inner arm, as wires poke from a circuit board on the table in front of him

A hackathon participant applied a tremor monitoring system to Richard Schena’s arm. (Image by Karen Teber)

The winning team members stand together and hold a large check representing their $5,000 prize

Team Rabbit took home the grand prize for demonstrating the most innovative, impactful and well-executed solution. Their project addressed fall-prevention in Parkinson’s patients.

All Hackathon participants and organizers stand together in a large group

Hackathon participants and organizers celebrated the event’s successful conclusion.

Cases

Neuromuscular Monitoring: Leveraging AI to track, monitor and manage Parkinson’s disease

Schedule Optimization: Smart scheduling for improved efficiency and patient outcome

Call Scripts: Improving efficiency by automating post-discharge follow-up scripts

Mental Health: Creating an AI companion that provides support and resources for health care professionals

Pediatrics Health Education: Empowering parents with AI-driven interactive education to better manage their children’s health

Patient Safety Challenge: Preventing medical errors and improving patient safety with a consumer-driven approach

AI-powered Compliance: Enhancing documentation accuracy with real-time error detection, regulatory guidance and training