Winning Submissions Announced for “OrthoChallenge”

Six novel ideas to help patients with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions have been chosen as winners of the “For Such A Time As This—OrthoChallenge.” This competition was conceived of as a way to call forth the innovators who have the potential to help orthopedics patients in the era of COVID-19. The OrthoChallenge called for the submission of innovative products, services, and software to address the needs of orthopedic patients whose surgeries are being delayed.

The Winners

Mouhanad El-Othmani won for his submission, the “Nutritional and Physical Therapy Programs for MSK Patient at Risk of Obesity and Weight Gain.” This platform helps patients lose weight while they await surgery through the use of customized, well-balanced nutritional plans and exercise programs. These programs are guided by health care professionals.

Fred Ferlic won for his “TayCo External Ankle Brace.” This innovative brace fits over a patient’s own shoe or work boot and provides stability and balance for ankle/hindfoot problems. This helps patients move around safely while they await surgery—avoiding the muscle deconditioning and gait changes that can occur with prolonged immobility.

Ryan Grabow won for his “Battle Born Maker Corps Stay Strong Face Shield System.” This face shield protects both patients and healthcare workers. The shield covers a healthcare worker’s face, head, neck, and upper torso during close patient contact. The Stay Strong Face Shield System is intended to reduce the risk of virus transmission before, during and after surgical treatments.

Thomas Myers won for his “UVC-LED Viral Inactivation Protocols for Healthcare Provider Protection.” This system inactivates RNA viruses through the use of specific wavelengths of LED technology. These new protocols will reduce risks and prevent the spread of viruses for patients undergoing surgery.

Josh Rabinowitz won the award for his “Movement-Synchronous Muscle Stimulation for Out-of-Clinic Muscle Strengthening & Activation.” This system provides movement-synced electrical stimulation that is personalized for each patient. This system will help patients retain muscular function while their physical activity is limited prior to surgery.

Ronald Triolo, Stephanie Bailey, and Frank Zitko won the award for their “Self-Leveling Walker for Safe Stair and Ramp Mobility.” This walker adjusts to match stair height or incline angle, helping patients navigate independently while they await surgery.

What did they win?

Each of the winners will receive regulatory consultative assistance courtesy of Empirical Technology Corp.; product exposure on the OREF TV and Venture Capital TV Internet channels, courtesy of the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation(OREF); and advice from medical device accelerators and investors on how to “fast track” their innovations to patients. The participating accelerators and investors include: InMotus Medical, MendMedical, KCK Group – Medical Technologies, and IntuitiveX.

For Such A Time As This—OrthoChallenge was sponsored by Audrey Beckman of Audrey Beckman Consulting; Raymond Cloutier, CEO and Founder NovApproach Spine, and his wife, Renee Cloutier; Dawn Lissy, CEO/Founder Empirical Technologies Corp.; and Joseph Zuckerman, M.D., Chair, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, NYU Langone Health and Past President of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). The contest received endorsements from Foundation for Physical Therapy Research (FPTR), International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty (ISTA), Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, and Orthopedic Surgical Manufacturing Association (OSMA).

Audrey Beckman, leader of the selection process said, “Rapid change and crisis encourage innovation. It has been energizing to see ingenuity, combined with technical and clinical knowledge, that provides solutions to the changing needs of patients during this historic and challenging period. While born during the pandemic, these innovations may benefit patients and healthcare providers for many years.”

Raymond Cloutier, CEO of NovApproach Spine and one of the sponsors of the For Such A Time As This—OrthoChallenge said, “It was clear that each innovator who took the ‘OrthoChallenge’ had a passion to help orthopedic patients in a creative way. This ‘can do’ attitude to overcome the issues we face gives me great hope.”

Winner’s Reactions

OTW spoke with some of the winners about their experiences with OrthoChallenge.

Ronald J. Triolo, Ph.D., said, “I’m excited about the prospect of reducing inpatient rehabilitation stays, getting people back into their homes or communities quicker, and saving the costs of expensive home adaptations. The OrthoChallenge award will help us fill in the gaps in our knowledge about regulatory and reimbursement issues so we can accelerate the translation of this novel assistive device and get it to the people who can really benefit from it.”

Triolo told OTW that he was “inspired to develop the self-leveling walker after watching the difficulty one of the volunteers with paraplegia in our research program was having learning to negotiate a small 6-inch curb with a conventional walker while working with a PT [physical therapist]. Our device can level the world of architectural barriers and non-ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] compliant places for persons with disabilities, particularly temporary impairments right after orthopedic surgery when people are most likely to fall.”

Mohannad Othmani told OTW, “Musculoskeletal care providers have been attempting to manage the obesity pandemic for decades now, and the evidence regarding the negative impact of obesity on outcomes following MSK procedures are well known and reported in the literature. Among the general population, weight gain was a common complaint during the shelter-in-place period, and patients with musculoskeletal injuries and conditions are at a heightened risk given the functional limitations they face. The success and maintenance of weight loss efforts and the improvement of nutritional status would lead to multiple general health benefits and would increase the probability of improved outcomes following surgical intervention.”

Tom Myers, M.D., told OTW, “I am, of course, excited to be one of the winners but am more excited to bring my UV Decontamination ideas to fruition. The OrthoChallenge opportunity connects us with regulatory consultants and experienced entrepreneurs to help us through the early phases of product development. It is a rare opportunity to be forced to decelerate from our busy practices and take a minute to reflect on big public health threats. Most of us are born problem solvers and chose a career in orthopedics so that we can do just that on a daily basis. Occasionally, however, we get an opportunity to solve some of the big problems in healthcare with a little ‘out of the box.’”

Josh Rabinowitz told OTW, “We’re excited about winning OrthoChallenge because it represents an opportunity to demonstrate our working prototypes with a broader audience of orthopedic surgeons and to help make sure the devices we bring to market do right by both patients and providers.”

Rabinowitz continued, “My co-founder Herbie Kirn developed this technology to help integrate elements of physical therapy into his life following a near-fatal motorcycle accident that left one leg amputated and contributed heavily to knee osteoarthritis in the other. This technology was built out of personal necessity when he was told to delay surgery, when braces and injections were insufficient to restore function, and when he didn’t have enough time available to get all of the exercise and physical therapy he needed.”

Looking Forward

OTW wishes each of these winners luck in the continued development of their ideas.

As succinctly put by Cloutier, “I wish each of the submitters the best in seeing their ideas come to fruition—often a difficult task. I pray that each will keep in mind Winston Churchill’s statement: ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give’ along their challenging journey to deliver their ideas to patients.”