Saint John Medical Team Wins $500,000 In Lions’ Den Competition
SAINT JOHN – A proposal to create a 3D artificial intelligence lab in Saint John is one step closer to becoming a reality thanks to a unique medical competition.
The idea was selected as the winning pitch in the Lions’ Den competition hosted by the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation.
Zach Kilburn, Dr. Darren Ferguson, and Dr. Ian Maxwell’s proposal will receive the $500,000 top prize, along with a $100,000 grant from the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation.
Their proposal centred on a 3D printer that would allow clinicians to create a virtual copy of their patient’s anatomy to plan and practice surgery.
Miranda Hubbs was one of five business leaders who contributed $100,000 toward the top prize and helped select the winner.
Hubbs said it was “incredibly difficult” to choose a winner from the three teams as their projects were all worthy of funding.
“There was technology involved in all of them but they didn’t lose sight of the humanity in the technology. They really did focus not on just what it could do but what it meant for the patient experience,” Hubbs said in a phone interview.
The second project focused on new equipment to improve the speed and accuracy of drug detection, while the third centered on enhanced lung cancer care.
Hubbs said while all three groups were passionate and committed, the 3D artificial intelligence lab is on the cutting-edge of medical innovation as the future of healthcare increasingly shifts towards digitization.
“This is, for one of a better word, a sexy project to be able to attract the best and the brightest from all over in order to improve and build that centre of excellence within the Saint John region. It’s not enough to be good, this gets you to think bigger and to go for great and that’s what we want to see is that greatness within the region,” she said.
The pitch to enhance treatment and care for lung cancer patients, which was voted most deserving by the community, took home the $75,000 J.D. Irving, Limited, Community Choice Award.
Community members can continue to make donations to each of the three projects through the hospital foundation’s website.
“We need more support to get all of these funded because I think it’s something that the region needs,” said Hubbs.
Brad Perry is the news director for with CHSJ/Country 94, Huddle content partners.