Students Develop App for PTSD Patients During Three Day Challenge

Congratulations to Huang Fellows Robyn Guo and Gary Wang, whose team took second place at the 2016 Triangle Innovation Challenge (THInC) over the weekend. Their virtual reality therapy app developed for veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) aims to make therapy more affordable and accessible to patients living in rural areas.

The annual three-day team competition brings together students and young professionals (engineers, clinicians, designers, business people and others) to tackle and build innovative solutions for the biggest challenges in health and healthcare. Organized by the Duke School of Medicine Innovation and Entrepreneurship Activity Group, and the Carolina Health Entrepreneurship Initiative, THInC invites the the academic, industry, pharmaceutical, startup and student communities to collaborate to solve problems of immense importance.

Ms. Guo and Mr. Wang were part of a seven man team who identified problems in current methods of treatment for veterans suffering from PTSD. Their app “LOTUS” is an innovative new mobile treatment program that uses VR technology to address inefficiency and inaccessibility in the care of American heroes struggling with mental illness.

In a letter to competition judges the team wrote, “We at LOTUS believe our product will become an important component of PTSD therapy for veterans. As society seeks innovative solutions to make healthcare more accessible, affordable, and personalized, LOTUS is the future.”

In addition to placing 2nd in the competition the team also won the Janssen Mental Health Prize.