Tools to Help Burnout, Attention Problems Among Winners at 2019 APA Innovation Lab

Medimmunity, a digital platform aimed at preventing burnout among medical trainees, was awarded the Grand Prize at this year’s Mental Health Innovation Lab, the annual “Shark Tank”–style competition held in the Innovation Zone at APA’s Annual Meeting.

David Hathcox

Conceived by Jordyn Feingold, M.A.P.P. (M.D./M.S.C.R. candidate), Annie Hart, M.D., Murad Khan, M.D., and Isobel Rosenthal, M.D., M.B.A., when they were medical students at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Medimmunity will provide structured support groups, online resources to help build resilience, and a forum to enable students and residents to connect with colleagues. Their idea is based on an in-person, support program available at Mount Sinai co-founded by Feingold and Hart known as PEERS (Practice Enhancement, Engagement, Resilience, and Support).

“When we heard about the competition, it inspired us to do something more with PEERS, to try and bring it to a national level,” Feingold told Psychiatric News. The team had hoped to use the opportunity at the Innovation Lab to refine their nascent idea; winning the prize was a welcome surprise.

“I don’t think any of us thought we would win at any point during the event; we were impressed by the quality of everyone’s presentations,” Feingold said. “But it was a wonderful experience, and everyone we talked with was so supportive of the idea.”

With the award (and accompanying $10,000) in hand, the Medimmunity team is now turning concept into product and is focused on getting a web-based program up and running.

Other winners of this year’s Innovation Lab include:

• Alumni Award: Sean Christensen, M.D., for CogNova. This award is given to the 2018 Innovation Lab team that has made the most progress with their project in the past year.

  CogNova is a digital platform that offers reminiscence training to patients with dementia in a game-like environment. The adaptive platform uses machine learning to identify the music, photos, videos, and other content that provide the most emotional impact for patients. Caregivers can use the platform on a smartphone, tablet, or computer to help strengthen their connections with their loved ones. This digital product was just an idea at the 2018 Innovation Lab, but with the exposure offered by that experience, Christensen and his colleagues are pilot testing an early version. Learn more here.

• Impact Award: Patrina Mack for YouROK. This award is given to the project that offers the greatest impact in terms of reach or access.

  YouROK has developed an emotional resiliency app that is shared by children and parents. The children play engaging games that help them identify their feelings and develop relationship skills. Meanwhile, the parents receive weekly reports that provide insights on emotional areas where their child is doing well and where they might need improvement (while keeping details private) to help facilitate family engagement and discussions. Learn more here.

• Audience Choice Award: Alex Barty for TALI Health.

  TALI is developing a series of gamified cognitive modules to help children aged 3 to 8 years with autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder develop better attention skills. Using touchscreen-based games, the five-week TALI program targets all four core areas of attention: selection, control, inhibition, and focus. Learn more here.

Stay tuned to a future issue of Psychiatric News to learn more about some of this year’s winners and their plans for the future. ■