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C3 Prize Alumni

The Astellas Oncology C3 Prize sparks innovative developments in cancer care, tackling challenges by awarding prize winners with grants and connecting them with resources and support. Nurturing these developments has resulted in incredible impact over the years.

2020 Grand Prize Winner

Omolola Salako

Omolola Salako, MBBS, FWACS
Oncopadi Technologies

Idea: An app that connects cancer patients with the specialists and hospitals they need to access care.

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About the Winning Idea

Oncopadi is centered on democratizing cancer information and care through technology so that people can find out they have cancer and receive treatment earlier, before the cancer has progressed. The Oncopadi mobile cancer app is a digital patient navigator that provides telemedicine, symptom tracker, patient educational materials, and a supportive online cancer support group.

Omolola Salako is an innovator who aims to solve complex problems in cancer care. Her personal journey to change cancer care started in 2003, when her sister was diagnosed with advanced kidney cancer and passed away in less than 3 months. The experience drove her passion and ultimately, her profession. Now, she is focused on building a safe space for people affected by cancer. Omolola believes that anyone diagnosed with cancer should have instant access to accurate cancer information and support.

2020 Innovation Prize Winners

Valeria Arango Velez, MD

Valeria Arango Velez, MD
Healing Presents

Idea: A mind-body therapy app designed to help address challenges and improve care and overall experience for cancer patients on their journey.

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About the Winning Idea

Healing Presents is a mobile cancer app with mind-body therapies, that implements awareness, quality of life, and psycho-physiological wellbeing during each moment of the cancer journey. "It is carefully designed to help address emotional challenges and is meant to improve the care and the overall experience of cancer patients.

As a cancer survivor and now as a medical doctor with integrative medicine studies at Harvard University and the University of Arizona, Dr. Valeria Arango Velez understands firsthand the emotional needs that patients experience during their cancer journey. She created Healing Presents based on her own personal and professional experience, and to positively impact and improve cancer care. Her goal is to help people live happier and healthier lives with more mindfulness.

Lisa Mckenzie

Lisa McKenzie
You Night Empowering Events

Idea: A narrative therapy storytelling course that helps cancer patients articulate their life’s journey, find their inner strength and encourage others with cancer.

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About the Winning Idea

You Night Empowering Events helps women embrace life beyond cancer, knowing that mental and emotional care is an overlooked but necessary part of cancer care treatment. The Story Crafting E-Course is designed to bring survivors together virtually to share their stories, find their inner strength and encourage others who have been diagnosed with cancer. They believe that the lives of people living with cancer can be changed for the better simply by articulating their experience so that other people can understand that experience.

Lisa McKenzie is the Founder and Executive Producer of You Night Empowering Events. She believes in the power of storytelling and wants to remind people that they are more than their cancer diagnosis.

2019 Grand Prize Winner

Audrey Guth

Audrey Guth
Nanny Angel Network

Idea: Expand the reach and impact of Nanny Angel Network, which delivers free, specialized childcare for mothers with cancer.

2019 Innovation Prize Winners

Daniella Koren of Arches Tech

Daniella Koren
Arches Technology

Idea: Expand the digital patient education and engagement program MyCareCompass, which provides relevant information and evidence-based education to people impacted by cancer throughout their treatment journey.

Leslie Schover

Leslie Schover
Will2Love

Idea: Optimize care for cancer-related problems with sex and fertility, including online self-help tools for men and women, online training and support for oncology health professionals, and consulting to hospitals on how to structure a reproductive health program.

2019 Emerging Ideas Prize Winner

Abby Westerman

Abby Westerman
b-present Foundation

Idea: Extend the reach of b-there, a web-based patient and supporter connection tool to lower the barrier for young adults with cancer to stay connected with friends, offering a quick, easy, low-stress way to control visits, convey status updates, and request needed items.

2018 Winners

Ebele Mbanugo

Grand Prize Winner
Ebele Mbanugo | Run For a Cure Africa (RFCA)

Idea: Produce timely, culturally relevant, relatable information via a first-of-its-kind digital audio series with local actors that addresses common barriers and myths to breast cancer treatment, which are of value to patients in Nigeria.

Do Hyun Kim

Support Tools Winner
Do Hyun Kim, Olga Romanova, Emily Dahl, Calvin Marambo, Anna Raheem

Idea: Outpatient wearable device designed to take body temperature readings of pediatric cancer patients at specific time intervals and inform them about the severity of their condition via an LED and sound feedback system to help decrease rates of infection-caused mortality in low- and middle-income countries.

Richard Levenson

Technology Winner
Richard Levenson

Idea: Update the microscope to provide diagnostic-quality images, with enhanced information, directly and quickly from fresh or fixed tissue to relieve both the requirement to first have access to histology and the time-consuming and costly processes involved.

2017 Winners

 Hernâni Oliveira

Grand Prize Winner
Hernâni Oliveira | The Hope Project

Idea: An augmented reality app to help solve common issues faced by pediatric patients and their parents around both education and physical engagement.

Get to know Hernâni

Kevin Bambury of ONCOassist

First Prize Winner
Kevin Bambury | ONCOassist

Idea: Kevin is the co-founder of ONCOassist, which has developed an interactive informational app designed to contain all of the tools oncology professionals need at point of care to help diagnose and manage treatment. ONCOassist aims to give professionals access to reliable and approved medical information to help them make the right decisions for patients in an increasingly complex oncology environment.

Howard Isenstein of Care Progress

First Prize Winner
Howard Isenstein | Care Progress

Idea: Howard is the founder of Care Progress, whose app, CarePrompter, aims to improve patient navigation, adherence, and care coordination by prompting patients to check in with their clinicians frequently on a wide range of topics. CarePrompter is designed to reduce inefficiencies in care delivery for patients and caregivers, while maintaining open channels of communication to ensure patient needs are being met.

Watch Howard’s application video

Cory Kidd of Catalia Health

First Prize Winner
Cory Kidd | Catalia Health

Idea: Cory is the CEO of Catalia Health, which has developed the Mabu Wellness Coach Platform featuring an AI-powered companion robot that incorporates psychology, evidence-based healthcare solutions, and artificial intelligence to help patients better manage their care. Catalia Health and Mabu provide an interactive companion to patients in order to increase long-term patient engagement.

Watch Cory’s application video

First prize winner Charlotte Vander Stichele of MindBytes

First Prize Winner
Charlotte Vander Stichele | MindBytes

Idea: Charlotte is a graphic designer for MindBytes, whose Cancer Patient Decision Aid (CADA) would provide patients with a visually engaging and interactive scenario-based decision-support tool complete with information on disease burden, treatment impacts, and the various decision points during care. CADA is designed to allow patients to work with their doctors and feel more empowered over the course of their treatment.

Watch charlotte’s application video

2016 Winners

Diane Jooris | Oncomfort

Grand Prize Winner
Diane Jooris | Oncomfort™

Idea: Virtual reality systems to help patients by providing anxiety and pain self-management tools.

Get to know Diane

Mark Harrison of Australian Prostate Cancer Research

First Prize Winner
Mark Harrison | Australian Prostate Cancer Research

Idea: As CEO of Australian Prostate Cancer Research, Mark Harrison recognizes that for many men with prostate cancer—particularly those living in remote and rural communities—accessing appropriate support and clinical services can be challenging. This knowledge inspired him to develop PROSTMATE™, one of the world’s first interactive online systems designed to meet the needs of men with prostate cancer. A membership-based program, PROSTMATE provides a tailored experience to help men with prostate cancer get the information, support, and tools they need to manage their disease.

Watch Mark’s application video

Larry Pederson of The Litebook Company Ltd

First Prize Winner
Larry Pederson | The Litebook Company Ltd

Idea: As a longtime sufferer of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), Larry Pederson was driven to find a better solution for existing lightbox technology. In 2000, he founded The Litebook Company, a Canadian-based organization that invented a portable light therapy device called The Litebook®. The Litebook holds promise for cancer patients suffering from the profound fatigue often brought on by chemotherapy treatment—a symptom that is similar in many ways to the feeling that results from severe jet lag. In much the same way that the Litebook can reset a traveler’s internal body clock, the device has the potential to “reset” a patient’s body clock and help to improve energy, sleep, and overall quality of life.

Watch Larry’s application video

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