HEALTH AI
Healthcare is full of fascinating problems waiting to be solved. 150 students from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and a variety of universities descend upon NYC for a weekend of rapid proto-typing with guidance from industry experts using AI + XR to create the future. On Sunday teams demo their proof-of-concepts for awards and accolades.
March 6-8 2026
New York City, NY
36-HOURS OF INNOVATION.
WHY YOU, WHY THIS?
IF YOU'RE KEEN TO COLLAB.
You know that the success of healthcare relies on collaboration across medicine, science, engineering, business, research, and creative.
IF YOU'RE ITCHING FOR IMPACT.
You know that there's major improvement needed in today's healthcare and medical systems and you're going to lead the charge.
IF YOU LIKE SOLVING PROBLEMS.
You've fallen asleep dreaming of ways to improve process, procedure, diagnostics, treatment & workflow in healthcare & medicine.
IF YOU JUST 🤍 HACKATHONS.
A hackathon that's designed for curious, innovative, imaginative, young people interested in having a positive impact. Applying technology to human well-being.
ABOUT
A hacker utilizes whatever is available to solve problems, there is no time to reinvent the wheel. Using AI, APIs, LLMs, data + more, combined with sheer ingenuity and creativity, diverse teams of students work together over the weekend. Hackathon organizers provide the infrastructure to support teams: expert mentors, nutritious food, and an engaging atmosphere. With 10+ years of experience, the hackathon organizers know the resources, structure, and workshops necessary to elevate performance and outcomes.
The 2026 Health Hackathon is an in-person interdisciplinary event bringing together students from across degrees, majors, and schools! On Friday evening, teams comprised of medical, business, engineering, data science, developers, and design students create solutions to improve healthcare. From processes, procedures, diagnostics, treatment, etc using hardware &/or software technology. On Saturday, mentors provide feedback and guidance to teams. On Sunday, the hackathon culminates in a project showcase to an audience of peers, mentors, and sponsors.
A panel of judges selects winners and awards prizes to winning teams.
The focus of the hackathon is on improving healthcare. More information and resources are provided as a foundation to accelerate rapid prototyping. A pop-up maker space is also provided by our friends at Cornell Tech. Tech demo's, product trials, leaders in medicine, AI + XR subject matter experts make this an event you don't want to miss.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Hover over schedule events to learn what's recommended (★), what's mandatory, where to submit registration, team content and for mentors, access to our teams list + locations.
TUESDAY
March 3
5:30-7PM
Join this facilitated session to find a team from the 100+ participants from multiple universities. Everyone has an opportunity to share an idea.
Team Formation
WEDNESDAY
March 4
6:30-8PM
Join this facilitated session to find a team from the 100+ participants from multiple universities. Everyone has an opportunity to share an idea.
Team Formation
THURSDAY
March 5
5-6:00PM
Join this facilitated session to find a team from the 100+ participants from multiple universities. Everyone has an opportunity to share an idea.
Tech Primer
FRIDAY
March 7
Check-in & Networking
4:00PM
Network, connect with your team, and get settled in for an amazing weekend.
Hackathon Intro + Kick-Off
5:00PM
MANDATORY
Dinner
6:00PM
Delicious, nutritious meal provided, including vegetarian options.
Location: Kitchen
Fast-Start Workshop
Bring your laptop, pen or pencil, and get ready to work with your team in this accelerated event.
7:15 - 8:45PM
MANDATORY IN-PERSON
SATURDAY
March 8
Breakfast Available
8:45AM
Delicious, nutritious meal provided, including vegetarian options.
Location: Kitchen
Mentor Training
10:15 - 10:30AM
Mentors join us for this primer.
Team Updates
10:30 - 11:00AM
MANDATORY IN-PERSON!
One member from each team will report on team's needs / areas of assistance.
Mentor Training
2:15 - 2:30PM
Mentors join us in the 3rd Floor for this primer.
Team Updates
2:30 - 3:00PM
MANDATORY IN-PERSON!
One member from each team will report on team name, one-liner and needs.
Lunch
12:30PM
Delicious, nutritious meal provided, including vegetarian options.
Location: Kitchen
Mentors Visit Teams
3:00 - 4:30PM
Go to the teams that could use your expertise.
Find them here
Pitch Workshop
Join Tushar + Alayna for a quick rundown on How to Pitch like a Pro and demo FAQs.
5:00 - 5:30PM
Dinner Available
6:00PM
Delicious, nutritious meal provided, including vegetarian options.
Location: Kitchen
SUNDAY
March 9
9:00AM
1st Round Demos Kick-Off
Room assignments will be released here by 9AM Sunday morning.
9:30AM
FULL TEAM
MUST BE PRESENT :)
Judges Prep
9:10-9:25AM
Bring a laptop or ipad and arrive promptly! We start on time.
Lunch Opens
11:00AM
Hackathon Retrospective
11:30AM
Bring your laptop!
We're doing a live-retro commonly used in Agile to recap a sprint, using Miro.
Winners Announced
2:30PM
Final Demos
FULL TEAM MUST BE PRESENT :)
12:15PM
Day Concludes
3:30PM
Everyone must leave. The hackathon has concluded.
2026 FOCUS AREAS & CHALLENGES
1
Personalized Point‑of‑Care Nutrition for Chronic Disease Prevention (U.S.)
● How might we use POC tools to detect nutrient deficiences & diet-related risks early, before chronic disease develops?
● How might we design simple, rapid, non-invasive POC nutrition tests that work reliably in clinics, pharmacies, & homes?
● How might we ensure POC nutrition solutions are accessible to at-risk groups such as rural communities, food-insecure households, older adults, children, and pregnant women?
● How might we make POC results actionalbe- integrating them into care workflows or apps that provide clear, personalized nutrition guidance?
● How might we create affordable, portable, and scalable POC nutrition technologies suitable for low-income environments while maintaining safety and accuracy?
2
AI + XR
● Details Coming Soon
3
Bridge to Artificial Intelligence [Bridge2AI]
Bridge2AI is accelerating the ethical & impactful use of AI in biomedical adn behavioral research. By building rich, AI-ready datasets and establishing best practices across data science, ethics, & collaboration, they're opening new frontiers in how we understand, treat, and prevent disease. Bridge2AI will help bring solutions to this deficit by:
-
Generating new flagship biomedical and behavioral data sets that are properly documented and ready for use with AI or ML technologies
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Developing software and standards to unify data attributes across multiple data sources and across data types
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Creating automated tools to accelerate the creation of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data sets
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Providing resources to disseminate data, standards, tools, and best practices
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Creating training materials and activities for workforce development that bridges the AI, biomedical, and behavioral research communities
Full details and AI ready data coming soon
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