This past February, Northwestern held the first-ever NU Health Hacks healthcare hackathon at Feinberg’s McGaw Pavilion and the new Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center. The inaugural event brought Northwestern Pritzker law students together with students from the Feinberg School of Medicine, the Kellogg School of Management, the McCormick School of Engineering, and the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences to learn, collaborate, and innovate in solving difficult issues in healthcare.
As part of the competition, students were placed into teams and presented with a healthcare challenge – how can we improve the experience at student-run clinics? Students heard from a panel of community and faculty physicians about their experiences working in student-run clinics and the challenges they face on a daily basis. They also attended workshops and mentor meetings with industry experts to help prepare for their final presentations.
Master of Science in Law students 
Abidemi Adebamiwa (MSL’20), Amanda Burke (MSL’20), Cristina Craig (MSL’20), Aaditya Rawal (MSL ’20), and Armando Santos (MSL’20) very ably represented the MSL program. Amanda Burke’s (MSL’20) team emerged victorious in winning first place in the competition, while Cristina’s and Abidemi’s team won the audience choice award.
Cristina Craig (MSL’20) (CC below) and Amanda Burke (MSL ’20) (AB below) recently responded to a set of questions related to their Hackathon experiences – read on to learn more.
Why did you participate in the NU Health Hackathon?
CC: I participated in the hackathon for a variety of reasons. First, I had always wanted to participate in a hackathon because I thought it would be fun, but I never came across one that went beyond computer programming and coding until I heard from the MSL staff about NU Health Hacks. What really drew me to participate was the opportunity to work as part of a diverse team to provide an innovative health care solution by utilizing an interdisciplinary approach – this gave me the opportunity to apply what I’ve learned in the MSL program to solve a difficult problem.
AB: I participated in the Hackathon because I was intrigued by the idea of spending two days working with a group of individuals from different academic disciplines to solve a problem in the healthcare industry. With my primary focus in the MSL program being on healthcare and law, this seemed like a different way to gain knowledge outside of a classroom setting. Additionally, I liked the possibility of our group forming our solution into a startup.
Which MSL courses were most relevant to your NU Health Hackathon experience?
CC: Many of my MSL courses came in handy throughout the 2-day long event, including: Entrepreneurship Lab, IP Strategy & Management, IP Fundamentals, Regulatory Strategy & Communication, Business Strategy & Frameworks, Medical Device Regulation, Public Persuasion, and others. I found the MSL entrepreneurship courses particularly useful during the hackathon because I was well-prepared to develop an idea, conduct research, share IP opportunities, address regulatory issues and develop a regulatory strategy, and pitch ideas to investors.
AB: The courses that were most relevant to my NU Hackathon experience were: Visual Communication; Public Persuasion (as it related to the final pitch deck presentation); Negotiations (as it related to working with my team members); Ethics in Law & STEM fields: Entrepreneurship Law; and State Healthcare Law & Regulation (relating to developing Virtual M4).
What did you learn from the Hackathon experience?
CC: The NU Health Hacks taught me how to think, act, and strategize under pressure, while applying the knowledge I’ve learned from the MSL Program. As part of the event, students attended the following workshops: 10 Types of Innovation with Roger Mader; User Research with Dan Chichester & Audrey Clarke; and How to Pitch with Jannis Brea & Caleb Lou. The workshops taught us design thinking methods, how to conduct stakeholder interviews, and how to give a pitch presentation. Overall, the experience taught me how to work nimbly, and to create and deliver an entire presentation within a couple of hours. I also have a new appreciation for the importance of communication, narrowing down idea scope, and thinking outside the box to provide a creative healthcare solution.”
AB: I learned to be patient and I learned that you can compromise, but still need to let your voice be heard while working in product development with a group of people that may have differing views. I also learned that working in an interdisciplinary setting can have its challenges, but the rewards tend to outweigh the challenges due to each person adding a unique perspective to the experience, while learning from each other. Lastly, I learned that I am stronger than I realized because I almost did not take part in the Hackathon based on not feeling my best physically, but I pushed myself, stuck it out for two days, and I have no regrets!
