Collaboration
UH Manoa
Student Life
As a Pediatric Emergency physician, Dr. Travis Hong says some of the most common visits to the emergency room involve a problem that’s small, but tricky.
“You’d be surprised how often kids come in with things stuck in their ears,” said Hong. “Beads, food, little toy parts. For me personally, I would say I probably see these cases at least once every couple of weeks, if not more often than that.”
Removing those objects safely isn’t always straightforward.
“You probably won’t see this in any medical textbook, but a lot of ER is sort of figuring out how to do things on the fly and what works unconventionally, so sometimes we would put a little dab of medical grade super glue on the end of a Q-Tip, and then very carefully press that Q-tip onto the bead in the ear canal,” Hong explained. “’We’re hoping the whole time that the child stays still and doesn't move around too much. That's really why it's not that common for us to do that.”
This real-world challenge inspired this year’s winning project at the annual MIND Hawaii competition.
“We wanted to create something that would be safer, more controlled, and actually designed for this specific problem - something easier for physicians to use,” said Aileen Ferrer, leader of StickieEars. The team created a hybrid suction-adhesive device intended to improve safety and first-pass success by reducing adhesive slippage and providing more control during procedures.
“It’s a common problem, but there isn’t a standardized tool for it,” Ferrer said. “We saw an opportunity to improve that.”
Developing the prototype required collaboration across disciplines, which is the goal of MIND, which stands for "Medical Innovation and Design,". The annual competition unites students from across the University of Hawaiʻi, including JABSOM, Shidler School of Business, Richardson School of Law, and the College of Engineering, to develop solutions to real-world healthcare problems. Ferrer says the collaboration was one of the most valuable parts of the experience.
“Working with students and mentors from different backgrounds really changed how we approached the problem,” she said. “Everyone brought a different perspective.”
Over several months, MIND teams meet outside their demanding academic schedules to develop ideas, build prototypes, and refine concepts before presenting at the competition held at Kapiʻolani Medical Center.
“It’s a big commitment,” said Ferrer. “But honestly, a fun and rewarding one. You get to think outside the box and come up with solutions to real-world medical problems. It’s a nice break from studying… being creative and actually putting things together to build something that could have real potential one day.”
That kind of innovation is exactly what the MIND Competition is designed to foster. According to faculty advisor Peter Di Rocco, the level of work continues to grow each year.
“The projects keep getting better and better,” Di Rocco said. “Students are filling a massive clinical need, and the level of innovation that went into the design is so amazing to see and to witness.”
Ferrer and the StickieEars team hope to get the product into the hands of physicians everywhere in the future.
“ I really think this is something that could have real impact, be useful in everyday clinical practice, and truly make a difference,” Ferrer said.