Boston Children's Hospital's "Taking on Tomorrow" to Feature Innovation Tank, Ignite Talks for Pediatric Health Care Innovators

BOSTON, Sept. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Taking on Tomorrow, Boston Children's Hospital's Global Pediatric Innovation Summit + Awards (#PedInno15), will feature two opportunities for pediatric health care innovators seeking to advance their research, ideas, innovations and solutions.

On Monday, November 9, the second annual Innovation Tank will take place, presented by Philips Healthcare. Here, a panel of business-savvy venture capitalists, clinicians/researchers and industry leaders will consider pitches from innovators seeking investment for their business or product solution designed to improve pediatric care. Judges will decide how to "invest" $30,000 in sponsored funds and will provide valuable insights on accelerating innovations and bringing them to market. 

Troy Carter, founder and CEO of Atom Factory, and newly named guest shark on ABC's Shark Tank, will host the event and be joined by judges including: Daphne Zohar, co-founder and CEO of PureTech; Tammi Jantzen, General Partner and CFO of Astarte Ventures; Ivan Salgo, MD, MBA, Associate Chief Medical Officer/New Business Development, Patient Care and Monitoring Systems, Philips Healthcare; David Williams, MD, President, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center; and a representative from Zaffre Investments. 

"Healthcare is transforming in significant ways," said Salgo of Philips Healthcare. "Patients with challenging and chronic disease are now living inspiring and fulfilling lives as technology enables them to manage their disease rather than be managed by it. Integrated health technology solutions allow patients to undergo new therapies with faster recoveries and also enables them to be supported at home where they can do the things they want to do --- and with their families.

The keys to this are insight, innovation and transformation. A winning entrepreneur truly understands the real problems that need to be solved with meaningful solutions that enrich patient's lives. Transformation occurs not only for the patient, but also in creating disruptive and successful business models that fuel even more innovation."

On Tuesday, November 10, Taking on Tomorrow will feature an Ignite Talks competition focused on formative or grassroots research, ideas, innovations and solutions related to pediatric health care. Chris Duffy, creator and host of You're the Expert, a live show and public radio program on WBUR, will moderate the Ignite Talks where each presenter will have five minutes and 20 slides to pitch their innovation. The audience will vote on a winner through a mobile app. The winner will receive an Apple Watch, Ignite Talks trophy, sponsored travel to Boston, and will be given the opportunity to participate in an hour-long one-on-one mentoring session with an influential venture capitalist.

"We want to recognize, encourage and support innovators at various stages of the innovation cycle – whether they have a product that is market-ready, or are at earlier stages of development," said John Brownstein, PhD, chief innovation officer at Boston Children's. "The process of innovating and bringing something from idea to fruition in pediatrics can be particularly challenging to navigate, and we are delighted to offer the two opportunities this year for innovators to present their concepts and solutions with the intention of propelling their ideas forward."

Applications for both the Innovation Tank and Ignite Talks are being accepted until September 30. For more information, key dates, and to apply, please visit: takingontomorrow.org.

Boston Children's Hospital's Global Pediatric Innovation Summit + Awards 2015, Taking on Tomorrow, takes place November 9-10, 2015 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston and is designed to address unmet needs, solve problems and seize opportunities in pediatric health care. The 2015 theme is Precision Pediatrics.

Taking on Tomorrow features IBM as its premier sponsor. Additional sponsors, to date, include Philips Healthcare, Deloitte, Genzyme, Zaffre Investments, Medtronic, American Well, Cerner Corporation, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, athenahealth, Claritas Genomics, FKP Architects, Grunenthal, and Shire. Association partners include Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Institute for Pediatric Innovation, Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, The Mass Technology Leadership Council (MassTLC), The Network for Excellence in Health Innovation, the New England Venture Capital Association, and Springboard Enterprises. Media partners include boston.com, The Boston Globe, Modern Healthcare, Hospital of Tomorrow, WGBH, WBUR-90.9FM, Xconomy, and MIT Technology Review.

Follow the Summit online @BCH_Innovation #PedInno15.

Contact:
Keri Stedman
Boston Children's Hospital
617-919-3110
keri.stedman@childrens.harvard.edu

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SOURCE Boston Children's Hospital