Priority Population Digital Health Challenge 2024

The inaugural Ripple Challenge, the Priority Population Digital Health Challenge 2024, focused on solutions aimed at underserved populations, tackling key health inequities through digital health solutions. Delivered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) Healthcare, Cogniss and The Validitron, the challenge attracted an inspiring group of innovators from around the world.

Winners

Ruby Jackson

Midwife and National Health Service Clinical Entrepreneur
Ruby’s winning idea was Melanatal, an app for clinicians and parents to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes in women and babies of colour. The app bridges critical knowledge gaps, aid detection and improve diagnosis rates.

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Belinda Lange

Associate Professor, Flinders University
Belinda and her team’s winning idea was Journey to Recovery, an app that supports stroke survivors during the post-rehabilitation phase by enabling goal setting and tracking.

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Delivery partners

Cogniss is a no-code ecosystem that enables healthcare experts and organsations to create advanced patient-facing digital health apps. No coding or design skills required. Its unique point-and-click interface empowers healthcare experts and organizations to build highly customized apps, at a fraction of the time and cost required by traditional code-based development.

AWS is the trusted technology and innovation partner to the global healthcare and life sciences industry, providing unmatched reliability, security, and data privacy. AWS for Healthcare & Life Sciences provides an offering of AWS services and AWS Partner solutions used by thousands of customers globally.

The Validitron is a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and research experts in digital health implementation, human factors, and evaluation. Based at state-of-the-art simulation and design facilities within Melbourne Connect – The University of Melbourne's innovation precinct.

Judging panel

Dr Rowland Illing

Global Chief Medical Officer and Director of Healthcare and Non-Profits, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
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Matthew Howard

Head of Healthcare Data Sciences for Amazon Web Services (AWS)
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Leon Young

CEO & Founder of Cogniss
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Professor Wendy Chapman

Director of the Centre for Digital Transformation of Health, University of Melbourne
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Shaun Francis

Executive General Manager of Virtual Health and Clinical Informatics, Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
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Progress and impact

Both finalists successfully created their apps and published them in the app stores. Journey to Recovery is undergoing evaluation studies and Melanatal is preparing to launch within the NHS.