MaineHealth INNOVATION is…
MaineHealth INNOVATION is…
Programs
BREWING IDEAS COFFEE CORNER
The MaineHealth Brewing Ideas Coffee Corner offers MaineHealth care team members an informal virtual hour of fun and engaging conversation where ideas across functional and clinical areas are explored, questions about innovation are raised, and updates on new and emerging projects are shared. No preparation is necessary and no registration is required. All inquiring minds are welcome!
The Coffee Corner is held twice a month on the first and third Tuesdays from 8:30 to 9:30am via Zoom.
“I came to the MaineHealth Innovation Brewing Ideas Coffee Corner to brainstorm an idea to self-schedule patient visits for the walk-in clinic. The feedback I got from that conversation helped guide me to exactly the right people to help me move my idea forward.”
— Nir Harish, MD, MBA
Emergency Medicine, Pen Bay Medical Center
THE INNOVATION ELECTIVE
In 2020, MaineHealth Innovation launched a fourth year medical student innovation science elective* with Tufts University School of Medicine. The 4-week course curriculum is designed to encourage students to think differently, a mindset that they can later apply on the front lines of care delivery and administration. Elective students identify a course-long healthcare problem to solve and, through this lens, engage in user discovery, search for existing or novel models, develop a pathway, process or prototype, define stakeholders, run short experiments, and map a process for future deployment of their innovative solution.
*This course is currently only available to medical students.
“It has helped me think about the innovation process in a systematic way … that I can bring into my future practice.”
— James Kwan, Fall 2021 Innovation Elective student
from Tufts University School of Medicine


Sketches from an Innovation Elective student’s course project
THE INNOVATION COHORT
The MaineHealth Innovation Cohort empowers MaineHealth care team members to advance the “back of the envelope” ideas that address the unmet care needs they see every day. This eight-week program convenes a small group of interdisciplinary healthcare professionals as they embed themselves and their identified project in innovation science, user discovery, prototyping, and intellectual property considerations.
- 3 COHORT CYCLES
- 15 PROJECTS
- 5 PATENTS FILED
FALL
Anti-Strangulation Psych Undergarment
Nancijean Goudey, RN, MPH
Nursing Director
Maine Medical Center
Blue Light App to Mitigate Brain Injury
Zach Tillett, MD
Family Medicine Resident
Maine Medical Center
Food Sodium Tester
Lauren Boehm, MD
Family Medicine Resident
Maine Medical Center
Improved Facility for End of Life Care
Kyle Reed, RRT
Respiratory Therapist
Maine Medical Center
NewGown™
Sara Cox, CNRN
Supervisor, Neuroscience
Patient Navigator
Maine Medical Center
MaineHealth Food Truck
Alex Gingrich
Maine Behavioral Healthcare
Spring Harbor Hospital /
Sanford Behavioral Health
Neonatal Resuscitation Training Simulation with Augmented Reality
Michael Ferguson, MD, MTeach
Pediatric Intensivist
The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center
Mary Ottolini, MD,MPH, MEd
George W. Hallett, MD, Chair of Pediatrics
The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center
Rescue Vac
Will Connolly, RN
ED Clinical Nurse
Maine Medical Center
SPRING
Play Portal
Bethany Sweet, MS, CCLS
Child Life Specialist
The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center
Point of Care Ultrasound Tele-Training
Michael Zubrow, MD
Pediatrician
The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center
Refined Pessary Implant for Simulation Training
Tracie Knight, CHSOS
Simulation Specialist
Maine Medical Center
Chris DiLisio
Former Simulation Specialist
Maine Medical Center
Telehealth ENT Consult Device
Larry Marcus, MD, MS
Otolaryngologist
Maine Medical Partners
FALL
Access Avatars
Malvina Gregory
Director, Interpreter & Cross Cultural Services
Maine Medical Center
Nathaniel Meyer
Medical Student
Tufts University School of Medicine
Alexander Schin
Medical Student
Tufts University School of Medicine
Comfort Neck Pillow
Janet Moore, RN
Intensive Care Unit
Midcoast Hospital
Karleen Smat, RN
Intensive Care Unit
MidCoast Hospital
Hydraulic Manifold
Jeremy Lott, MD
Interventional Radiology
Resident
Maine Medical Center
“My proposed project to bring an employee-run food truck to MaineHealth is now under consideration with our leadership team. I could not have made it this far without the opportunity to explore and vet this idea through the Innovation Cohort.”
ALEX GINGRICH
Director, Nutrition Services
Maine Behavioral Healthcare
Spring Harbor Hospital / Sanford Behavioral Health
THE INNOVATION BLENDER
The Innovation Blender is a program designed in partnership with The Roux Institute to bring together practitioners, researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators from a variety of backgrounds to ideate on healthcare challenges. Each monthly event consists of presenters sharing their latest novel ideas and attendees brainstorming solutions to their project needs. Collaborations between MaineHealth pioneers, The Roux Institute community and local entrepreneurial talent are formed to pave a healthier future forward — one healthcare opportunity at a time.
Averting Trouble Ahead: An Algorithm for Predicting Aggression
Matthew Siegel, MD
Vice President of Medical Affairs for Developmental Disorders
Maine Behavioral Health
Matthew Goodwin, PhD
Associate Professor of Computer Science
Northeastern University
Neonatal Augmented Reality Simulation: Improving Outcomes at Rural Birthing Centers
Michael Ferguson, MD, MTeach
Pediatric Intensivist
The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center
Mary Ottolini, MD, MEd, MPH
George W. Hallett, MD Chair of Pediatrics
The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center
Fishing for Clots 2.0: Developing Smarter Tools to Save Brain Tissue
Rob Ecker, MD, MBA
Chief of Neuroscience, MaineHealth &
Neurosurgeon, Maine Medical Partners
Keeping it Cool: Therapeutic Hypothermia to Prevent Brain Injury in Newborns
Alexa Craig, MD, MSc
Neonatal and Pediatric Neurologist
Maine Medical Partners
Cervical Cancer: See It, Zap It and Prevent It
Obieze Nwanna-Nzewunwa, MD, MS
Surgery Resident
Maine Medical Center
Mapping Melanoma in Maine
E. Vinny Seiverling, MD
Dermatologist
Maine Medical Partners
Focusing on Fat in Cancer
Michaela Reagan, PhD
Faculty Scientist II
MaineHealth Institute for Research
New Therapeutics to Reactivate the Body’s Immune System to Combat Cancer
Peter Brooks, PhD
Faculty Scientist III
MaineHealth Institute for Research
Navigating the ER
Samir Haydar, DO, MPH
Emergency Physician
Maine Medical Center
Shifting the Healthcare Productivity Paradigm
Heidi Morin, RN, MSN, MBA
Former Nursing Director
Maine Medical Center
Transforming the Bio Bank
Anne Breggia, PhD
Director, Bio Bank
Maine Medical Center
Artificial Intelligence & Healthcare Administration
Paul Chausse
Vice President, Revenue Cycle Management
MaineHealth
Value Proposition 101 & The Mobile Palliative Care Link
Susan Miesfeldt, MD
Oncologist & Researcher
MaineHealth
KinoTek: The Future of Movement Analysis
Justin Hafner
CEO, KinoTek
Pocket Nodules – A Strategic “Bench to Clinic” Healthcare Innovation
Theresa Roelke, APRN-AGPCNP
Nurse Practitioner, Adult Health
MaineHealth
Introducing The Roux Institute TechStars Accelerator Start Ups
Ashi Batchu
Founder, MCSquared Health
Ngoc Le & Kevin Yee
Founders, Phase Zero
Hannes Bend
Founder, breathing.ai
PerZeptions, Inc
Peter Bex BS, PhD
Co-Founder and CTO, PerZeption, Inc.
Jan Skerswetat B.Sc., PhD
Co-Founder and CEO, PerZeption, Inc.
“I had no idea what to expect and I loved every minute.”
— Jasmine Bishop
TeleHealth Director, MaineHealth“I liked that there were lots of diverse backgrounds represented and seeing the collaborative nature of putting ideas together.”
— Innovation Blender Attendee
THE INNOVATION FUND
MaineHealth Innovation has established the MaineHealth Innovation Fund as an internal funding mechanism to foster and accelerate innovation within MaineHealth. Two funding levels are available: The Ignite Fund provides seed capital to help advance innovations. This investment of up to $20,000 can help innovators understand user pain points, build a prototype or test an assumption. The Bonfire Fund provides an investment of up to $100,000 to a MaineHealth care team member company and its advanced novel solution that aims to improve the lives of our care team and community members to a point where additional external or institutional funding opportunities can be explored.
- 17 Projects
- $309k Invested

IGNITE FUND
up to $20,000

BONFIRE FUND
up to $100,000
IGNITE FUND
Neonatal Resuscitation Training Simulation with Augmented Reality
Michael Ferguson, MD, MTeach
Pediatric Intensivist
The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center
Mary Ottolini, MD, MPH, MEd
George W. Hallett, MD, Chair of Pediatrics
The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center
Neurosurgical Robotic Clot Retriever
Rob Ecker, MD, MBA
Chief of Neuroscience, MaineHealth &
Neurosurgeon, Maine Medical Partners
Jeffrey Florman, MD
Neurosurgeon, Maine Medical Partners
Mohsen Shahinpoor, PhD
Mechanical Engineer, University of Maine
Nurse Staffing Tool
Heidi Morin, RN, MSN, MBA
Former Nursing Director, Maine Medical Center
Oxygen Therapy Headband
Deb Flint, RRT
Respiratory Therapist
Waldo County General Hospital
Rural Diabetic Retinopathy Screening with Artificial Intelligence
Kerri Barton, MPH
Former Research Navigator
MaineHealth Institute for Research
Shane Kirkegaard, MD
Former Internal Medicine Resident, Maine Medical Center
Brian Nolan, MD
Internal Medicine Physician, Western Maine Health
Scorpion Bag Mask Ventilation Device
Suzanne Wendelken, MD
Anesthesiology Resident, Maine Medical Center
IGNITE FUND
Clip to Close Gastrocutaneous Fistulas
Jeffrey Halter, MD
Pediatric Surgeon, Maine Medical Center
Collapsible Aerosolized Particle Enclosure
Samir Haydar, DO, MPH
Emergency Physician, Maine Medical Center
Elizabeth Hamilton, MD
Former Emergency Resident
Maine Medical Center
Kaitlyn Main, MD
Former Emergency Resident
Maine Medical Center
Hydraulic Manifold
Jeremy Lott, MD
Interventional Radiology Resident
Maine Medical Center
NewGown™
Sara Cox, CNRN
Supervisor, Neuroscience Patient Navigator
Maine Medical Center
navigatER
Samir Haydar, DO, MPH
Emergency Physician, Maine Medical Center
Play Portal
Bethany Sweet, MS, CCLS
Child Life Specialist
The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center
Pocket Nodules – Lung
Theresa Roelke, APRN-AGPCNP
Nurse Practioner, Adult Health
MaineHealth
Pulsatile Graft for Single Ventricular Congenital Heart Disease
Sunil Malhotra, MD
Medical Director & Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Maine Medical Partners
Rescue Vac
Will Connolly, RN
ED Clinical Nurse, Maine Medical Center
BONFIRE FUND
Collapsible Aerosolized Particle Enclosure
David Eagleson
CEO, Baker
Paul Fitzpatrick
Medical Device Entrepreneur
Samir Haydar, DO, MPH
Emergency Physician
Maine Medical Center
Elizabeth Hamilton, MD
Former Emergency Resident
Maine Medical Center
Kara Held, PhD
Science Director, Baker
Kaitlyn Main, MD
Former Emergency Resident
Maine Medical Center
Paul Tyson
Principal
Thermoformed Dynamics of New England
Neurosurgical Robotic Clot Retriever
Rob Ecker, MD, MBA
Chief of Neuroscience, MaineHealth &
Neurosurgeon, Maine Medical Partners
Jeffrey Florman, MD
Neurosurgeon, Maine Medical Partners
Mohsen Shahinpoor, PhD
Mechanical Engineer, University of Maine