Samsung, Department of Veterans Affairs, and MIT Present Breakthroughs that Matter Awards for Innovative Veterans Health Solutions
Winning Teams at MIT Hackathon Use Samsung Technology in the Creation
of Transformative
Digital Health Solutions to Improve Quality of Care for Veterans
RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Samsung
Electronics Americas, Inc. (SEA) today announced Simulacron and
Match Perch as winners of its Breakthroughs that Matter award
presented yesterday at the MIT Hacking Medicine Grand Hack 2019 in
Cambridge, MA. Awards were presented to the two teams for their
effective use of Samsung technology in the creation of prototype digital
health applications aimed at solving the United States Veterans Health
Administration’s (VHA) toughest challenges.
Match Perch, the winning concept in the Mental Health track, won for
developing a mobile application that establishes a
third-party-administered wellness program for Veterans suffering from
depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and
removes stigmas around treatment by preventing disclosure to the VA of
whether a veteran was volunteering help or receiving help between peers.
Simulacron won in the Cancer track for its prototype of a structured
electronic health record simulator for that uses the Samsung Knox
security platform to secure proprietary datasets.
“Being selected as a winner of the Breakthroughs that Matter Award
honors the strength and commitment of our team, and all the teams
competing this weekend, to positively impact the lives of Veterans,”
said Prescott Paulin, a United States Marine Corps veteran and member of
Match Perch. “Committed industry leaders like Samsung are inspiring the
next generation of developers and entrepreneurs to improve healthcare
for those who have sacrificed to protect our freedoms.”
The Samsung Breakthroughs that Matter awards were created to
highlight the potential for partnerships between the VHA, industry, and
academia in the cultivation of innovative entrepreneurs who embrace
Samsung hardware and software to assist the VHA with improving Veterans’
quality of care and access to useful and innovative healthcare solutions
for Veterans.
“We are very excited by the potential for digital health applications
like those developed by the winning teams at the Grand Hack,” said
Suzanne Shirley, National Fellow with the Veterans Health
Administration. “By working closely with leading industry and academic
partners like Samsung and MIT, VHA is gaining exposure to an innovation
ecosystem with the power to positively transform the entire care
continuum for Veterans.”
Each member of Match Perch and Simulacron will receive a Samsung Galaxy
Note 9 and a Knox Security Platform license, as well as access to
Samsung Developer Program mentors who will assist in progressing the
development of these winning applications.
“With these awards, and through our participation in the MIT Hacking
Medicine hackathons, Samsung is filling a critical gap between industry,
academia and the VHA,” said Taher Behbehani, Senior Vice President and
General Manager of the Mobile B2B Division, Samsung Electronics America.
“Samsung will embrace these innovative entrepreneurs and provide them
with the resources they need to fulfill their sense of mission that
drove them to create transformative applications for our nation’s
Veterans.”
About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, N.J., Samsung Electronics America,
Inc. (SEA) is a recognized innovative leader in consumer electronics,
mobile devices and enterprise solutions. A wholly owned subsidiary of
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., SEA is pushing beyond the limits of
today’s technology and providing consumers and organizations with a
portfolio of groundbreaking products in appliances, home entertainment,
Internet of Things, mobile computing, smartphones, virtual reality,
wireless infrastructure and wearables, in addition to offering leading
content and services related to mobile payments, 360-degree VR video,
customer support and more. Samsung is a pioneering leader in smartphones
and HDTVs in the U.S. and one of America’s fastest growing home
appliance brands. To discover more about Samsung, please visit www.samsung.com.
For the latest Samsung news, please visit news.samsung.com/us
and follow us @SamsungNewsUS.
Contacts
Allison+Partners for Samsung
Kali Pickens, 646-428-0642
kali@allisonpr.com
