While a sea of suits and echoing voices are typical at the Utah State Capitol, many of the suits and voices on April 8 at the annual Bench to Bedside competition belonged to a younger crowd than usual. Enthusiastic university students from across the state and beyond spent the evening engaging with judges, volunteers and fellow competitors. The capitol’s rotunda was lined wall to wall with presentation poster boards, as attendees adamantly voted on their favorite innovations.

Created by the Center for Medical Innovation (CMI), Bench to Bedside allows university students to create medical and global health innovations, by providing them with the tools necessary to succeed. The students formed into multidisciplinary teams and were given six months, access to over 100 health care providers, and $500 to create their innovations.

The annual competition at the capitol was the culmination of those six months. “It’s incredible getting to talk to everyone about our ideas after working on them for so long,” recounted Lindsay Sheering, a current biomedical engineering student at the University of Utah.

“I don’t think any of us thought we would develop a medical device,” exclaimed Young Hong, member of the legacy PreOv team. As last year’s grand prize winners, they were thrilled to receive this year’s Fred Lampropoulos Innovation Award. “Bench to Bedside has changed all of our lives.”

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