Holloman Health Innovation Challenge
On March 6, the Foster School of Business at University of Washington’s Seattle campus hosted the 10th annual Holloman Health Innovation Challenge (HIC), an event uniquely focused on health-related innovation. The event attracted around 400 attendees, including over 250 student innovators representing 7 universities from across the Pacific Northwest, over 40 mentors and 100 expert judges from the local life science community. The competition buzzed with ideas aimed at transforming healthcare, with over 30 departments and majors represented at the competition. Teams of students vied for a total of $40,000 in prize money, presenting bold solutions across medical devices, digital health, health access and disparities, and patient safety.
This year’s HIC offered teams an opportunity to develop consumer-focused patient safety innovations, thanks to a continued partnership with the Patient Safety Technology Challenge (PTSC). Jessica Roberto, HIC organizer, reflected on the collaboration, saying “we were delighted to once again partner with the Patient Safety Technology Challenge for this year’s HIC. Our student competitors are always encouraged to approach innovation from a patient-centered, needs-based perspective, which makes considerations for patient safety a natural component of the competition. Working with PTSC helped us bring this innate focus to the forefront and honor it with intention.”
Of the 69 submissions from HIC, ReviveHer earned the Best Idea in Patient Safety award, securing a $2,500 cash prize for their consumer-focused patient safety innovation. Their product—a breast attachment for CPR mannequins—addresses a silent but deadly gap in medical training: the lack of breasted mannequins in CPR education.
From left to right, ReviveHer Team Members: Nikhita Vaddineni, Sophia Syed, and Deeya Sharma (photo provided by University of Washington)
Deeya Sharma, a medical student at the University of Washington School of Medicine and co-founder of ReviveHer, explained how her academic background and personal experiences shaped the vision behind the product. “As a medical student training to become a physician, I have developed a strong commitment to improving patient safety and outcomes, particularly for women-identifying patients who have historically faced disparities in care,” she shared.
As an undergraduate majoring in Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies, she developed a capstone project that would serve as the foundation for ReviveHer. Her research included a systematic literature review of more than 11,000 studies, revealing a glaring gap in CPR training: an overwhelming absence of breasted mannequins, which perpetuates hesitation and discomfort during real-world CPR, at the cost of lives. Determined to change this, she set out to create a training tool that would eliminate barriers and make life-saving care more equitable.
Sharma and her co-founder Nikhita Vaddineni launched ReviveHer to bring this vision to life. The ReviveHer device is a universal breast attachment for CPR mannequins, featuring realistic areoles, nipples, and breast geometry. Sharma says the mission of ReviveHer is to “ensure that CPR training reflects all bodies, to challenge outdated norms in medical education, and to make sure no woman’s life is lost because of hesitation or discomfort.”
The team completed its first research study and is currently preparing the findings for publication. They’re also looking forward to launching pilot programs with CPR training in King County and in the UK, collecting vital data on user experience and training effectiveness. As they continue to work on their research and partnerships, the team is poised to shift how CPR is taught and practiced. By bringing gender equity into the heart of emergency medical training, ReviveHer is redefining what inclusive healthcare looks like.
