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Calling All Medical Device Innovators: Children's National Pediatric Device Competition Now Accepting Proposals

Two innovations to be awarded $50,000 each at Third Annual Pediatric Surgical Innovation Symposium

Washington, DC - The Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National Health System is now accepting proposals for its “Make Your Medical Device Pitch for Kids!” competition. Two top prizes of $50,000 each will be awarded to the winning presentations at the Third Annual Pediatric Surgical Innovation Symposium in October. 

The competition invites proposals from innovators – researchers, entrepreneurs, clinicians, and patient families – who have identified a significant, yet unmet medical device need within the pediatric population. For competition details, click here.

“Because there is a lack of available devices for children, clinicians and surgeons often improvise with adult devices,” said Kolaleh Eskandanian, PhD, MBA, PMP, executive director of the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National. “Our goal with this competition is to encourage the development of medical solutions that will be designed and labeled for children by providing significant financial support that will help in bringing pediatric devices to market faster.”

Competition finalists will have the opportunity to pitch their medical device in front of a panel of judges at the Sheikh Zayed Institute’s Third Annual Pediatric Surgical Innovation Symposium, “Children’s Need Must Drive Market Speed,” on Friday, Oct. 23, 2015 at The Newseum in Washington, D.C. The one-day forum will bring together patient advocates, researchers, innovators, regulators, and policy makers to examine and discuss the challenges surrounding the pediatric market and the need for incentives and legislations to stimulate pediatric surgical and device innovation.

Last year’s pitch competition winners, chosen from a field of eight finalists, were Velano Vascular, of Philadelphia and San Francisco, and REBIScan, of Cambridge, Mass.

For symposium agenda and registration, visit www.pediatric-surgery-symposium.org

Contact: Leah Parker 202-476-4500 

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