Education/training
Students test their imaginations at worldwide competitionImagine needing medical attention but you don't speak the same language as your doctor. In a multicultural city like Toronto, that scenario is an increasingly common one. But two medical students may have found a cure to that complaint. LINDA WHITE |
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 [ 2006-08-23 ] |
U of T students Rishi Gupta, left and Andrew Deonarine showcased their medical software at the Imagine Cup competition in India.
The University of Toronto's Andrew Deonarine and Rishi Gupta have created medical software designed to reduce the risk of ineffective treatments and the time required to make decisions because of language barriers.
Here's how it works: A doctor speaks into a computer, which relays that message to the patient in the language of their choice. The patient then replies to the doctor via the computer. The software, OmniClin, also uses graphics and other multimedia to help patients communicate.
Deonarine and Gupta showcased the software at Imagine Cup in Delhi, India. "As a medical student, I've had to work with a lot of patients who don't have English skills," Deonarine says. "In medical terminology, we call that 'LEP': Limited English Proficiency. It's very difficult to get basic medical information.
"Some hospitals have interpreters, but they're often overtaxed or not available. There is a translation line you can call, but it's very expensive and often busy. The budget for that is often used up in the first few months of a year."
Deonarine, in his third of four years of study, knew there had to be a better way. "I write a lot of computer code on my own and just started writing this (software) using C++ language." He contacted Gupta, a senior medical student, for help with more advanced clinical knowledge. Along the way, he learned about the Microsoft competition and decided to enter.
In addition to receiving $8,000 for qualifying for Team Canada, the pair has made valuable contacts with venture capital companies through Microsoft. Deonarine has been working with several Toronto clinics, including Access Alliance (he credits Dr. Mev Rashid there with helping him develop the software). An Alberta Children's Hospital has expressed interest in the software.
Deonarine and Gupta are one of just two Canadian teams that qualified to compete in this year's Imagine Cup. The theme, "Imagine a world where technology enables us to live healthier lives," featured six categories.
Their category, software design, called on students to create functional, dynamic and powerful software solutions. Other categories included programming battle, algorithm, short film, IT and interface designer. Deonarine and Gupta demonstrated their software before several teams of judges.
"I was personally blown away by their presentations," says Daniel Shapiro, academic program manager with Microsoft Canada. "I'm impressed with how (OmniClin) is being used already and is being tested by doctors in Toronto. That speaks for itself in terms of its usefulness."
He credits the competition with helping push the envelope. "The competition is designed to encourage and excite the students; to take what's in their head -- their imagination -- make it possible and reward them."
That also benefits the economy. "Our economy is driven by innovation," Shapiro says. "From Microsoft's perspective, we're tied to the (IT) industry ... It pushes Microsoft faster and helps the entire IT economy."
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IMAGINE CUP QUICK FACTS
Microsoft's annual Imagine Cup is a worldwide technology competition designed to provide opportunities for university students to help define the future of technology, software and computing by designing software with real-world applicability.
This year's competition attracted 68,000 entrants from 100 countries. Of those, 72 teams comprised of 181 students representing 42 countries competed in the finals, held Aug. 6-12 in India. Competitions have previously been held in Spain, Brazil and Japan and will be held in South Korea next year.
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