Rubitection and Kofimi Technology are the winners of the 2024 Make Your Medical Device Pitch for Kids! competition. The Alliance for Pediatric Device Innovation (APDI), an FDA-funded consortium led by Children’s National Hospital, and MedTech Color hosted the most recent edition of the competition, which focused on recognizing and supporting African American and Hispanic pediatric medical device innovators. The winners received a combined $50,000 in grant funding from APDI to support the advancement of pediatric medical technologies to the market.

The winners were selected from a field of five finalists who gave pitch presentations on their innovation’s attributes, benefits to patients and pathway to commercialization before a panel of five expert judges. The event was held on March 15 at the University of California, Los Angeles, as part of the annual MedTech Color Pitch Competition during L.A. MedTech Week 2024, powered by BioscienceLA.

The award-winning pediatric devices are:

Rubitection, a low-cost skin assessment management tool for chronic wounds that measures the properties of the skin. The system allows the user to monitor incremental changes in skin health to predict risk, monitor progression and customize care.

Kofimi Technology’s patent-pending pulse oximeter device designed specifically for pediatric populations to provide superior accuracy for all levels of skin pigmentation.

“Funding innovators of African American and Hispanic backgrounds is crucial for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives because it addresses systemic barriers and inequities that have historically hindered this group from accessing resources and opportunities in the life sciences sector,” said Kolaleh Eskandanian, Ph.D., M.B.A., P.M.P., Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at Children’s National and APDI program director and principal investigator. “Supporting a diverse group of innovators enriches the research and development process by bringing a variety of perspectives and viewpoints representing all populations.”

Along with the grant award, all finalists receive access to a network of supportive resources and expertise as part of their connection to APDI and MedTech.

Along with the pitch presentations, the event program included a keynote talk from Tonya Kinlow, Vice President of Community Engagement, Advocacy and Government Affairs at Children’s National, highlighting advocacy initiatives leading to an all-inclusive system of care for children.

Julia Finkel, M.D., pediatric anesthesiologist at Children’s National and principal investigator for APDI, participated in the panel discussion “Inequity within Inequity,” which highlighted how racial disparities in pediatric healthcare remain a critical challenge across the United States.