Meet the 2025 Nurses Hackathon Teams Reimagining Patient Care at HLTH

This year’s Nurses Hackathon at HLTH brought together nurses, engineers, and healthcare innovators for a high-energy, hands-on build event centered on one core belief: nurses know the problems worth solving. Sponsored by Solventum and VitaTek and hosted by NurseApproved, the hackathon gave participants the space to think creatively, collaborate across disciplines, and prototype real solutions to everyday patient care challenges.

Unlike traditional brainstorming hackathons, this year’s event focused on physical, buildable solutions. Nurses arrived with sketches, rough ideas, and clinical frustrations they’ve experienced firsthand. On-site engineering teams from VitaTek and Solventum (formerly 3M Health Care) supplied 3D printers, tools, materials, adhesives, and technical expertise. The goal wasn’t just to imagine something new, but to make it.

Participants were encouraged to consider real clinical pain points they encounter daily: placement, positioning, safety, setup, cleanup, consistency, and workflow. The result was a room buzzing with mental whiteboards, rapid prototyping, and nurses literally shaping innovation with their hands.

The Judges

A panel of leaders committed to advancing nurse-led innovation evaluated the projects:

• Oriana Beaudet, VP of Innovation, American Nurses Association
• Matt Newman, President of Sales, VitaTek
• Tony Kaufmann, Senior Business Development Manager, Solventum

Each team presented its prototype in a concise pitch centered on feasibility, need, and clinical impact.

The Winning Teams

First Place: Airway Positioning Device

Team Members: Jason Duprat • Nicholas McGowan • Rachel West • Susan Davis • Breanna Hetland • Maggie Ortiz • Jodie Uhl

Second Place: Hair Be Gone

Team Members: Kimberly Coston • Kolby Kolbet

Third Place: Smart Oxygen System

Mentor: Kathleen McGrow 

Team Members: Amy Hester • Danielle Bowie • Justen Madison • Brittany Woods Holmes • Maria Jumawan • Bradley Goettl • Jenn Johnson • Tracy Breece • Shannon Martin

Audience Favorite: MagnoAlign

Mentors: Patrick Baker • Taofiki Gafar-Schaner

Team Members: Katie Schill • Kathryn Dambrino • Amy Waldrup • Nathan Caves • Courtney Haus • Lisa Hodson • Michelle Townsend

Why This Year Mattered

This hackathon wasn’t just about competition. Many of the nurses participating attended through scholarships funded by corporate partners who believe in nurse-led innovation. By designing, building, and pitching alongside engineers and material specialists, nurses experienced something powerful: the realization that their clinical frustration can become a product, and their idea can become a solution.

For many, this was the first time they felt truly seen as innovators.

The hope and expectation is that the relationships built here grow into more scholarships, more prototypes, and more nurse-led companies.

Because when you put nurses in the room with tools, support, and permission to build? Healthcare changes.

🤔What idea would you present at the Nurses Hackathon? Share your comments in the forum below!