A year-long effort, the Bench to Bedside program gives students from across Utah the opportunity to dive into the process of health care innovation, and leverage their skills to bring positive change to how we care for members of our communities.
Culminating in the annual Competition Night, teams showcase their hard work to mentors, judges, health care providers, industry professionals, family, friends, and the public in the Ken Garff Scholarship Club at the beautiful Rice Eccles Stadium a chance to interact with the hundreds of attendees, students present their innovative devices and applications before judges submit final evaluations. Once the final scores are tallied, our awards presentation begins, highlighting the success of the winning teams.
2025 GRAND PRIZE WINNER: ALOE
We are creating a handheld, AI powered ultrasound device that patients with rotator cuff injuries will take home to monitor their rehabilitation. Reinjury often begins with substantial asymptomatic tears, and we aim to see those tears before the patient feels them.
2025 LEGACY GRAND PRIZE WINNER: ORTHOBOLT
OrthoBolt LLC fills the gaps of the increasing challenges in spinal procedures, particularly in patients with osteoporosis, through the design of an expandable pedicle screw optimized with cutting-edge rotating strut technology. These screws offer optimal anchoring in both healthy and compromised bone, reducing the risk of complications associated with traditional screw fixation methods.
B2B 2025 BY THE NUMBERS
31 COMPETING TEAMS
6 ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS: 3 UTAH, 2 NATIONAL, 1 INTERNATIONAL
140 STUDENT COMPETITORS
$80,000+ MILESTONE FUNDING AWARDED
14 NEW PATENTS FILED
100+ PROFESSIONAL MENTORS & JUDGES
Our smartwatch uses bioimpedance technology to measure blood pressure non-invasively, eliminating the need for a bulky, uncomfortable blood-pressure cuff. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, with high blood pressure being the #1 modifiable risk factor for developing the disease. Impedia empowers consumers by enabling blood pressure monitoring anytime, anywhere, at the touch of a button.
TriagePoint is an AI-powered health platform that delivers fast, intelligent symptom assessments to help users make informed care decisions. By reducing unnecessary ER visits and supporting clinical efficiency, TriagePoint empowers patients and healthcare systems alike through accessible, research-backed triage technology.
The Zonal Coating Application System (ZCAS) is a novel technique for coating cardiovascular devices to enhance endothelialization and reduce thrombus. Initially designed for the WATCHMAN LAAO device, ZCAS applies a two-part coating: a thromboresistant layer for blood-exposed areas and an endothelialization-promoting layer for tissue-contacting zones, minimizing peri-device leakage and improving long-term device performance.
Improper ligament balancing during Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) leads to pain, stiffness, and instability, often requiring revision. OrthoBalance provides physicians with an affordable, data-driven tool to assess and adjust ligament tension intraoperatively to effectively enhance precision, reduce revision rates, and improve patient outcomes. OrthoBalance ensures that patients get the outcome that they deserve the first time.
CodeMed AI is an AI-powered medical scribe that listens to doctor-patient conversations and generates real-time, structured clinical notes. Designed to integrate with any EHR system, it saves physicians time, reduces costs, and improves accuracy. Future features include automated billing, making CodeMed AI a complete solution for clinical documentation and efficiency.
Pebble AI is a non-invasive, AI-driven suggestions tool specializing in HIE. It leverages multimodal AI (audio + video) to provide fast, accurate, and cost-effective assessments. Scalable and integrable with healthcare systems, Pebble AI enhances early diagnosis, reduces humanerror, and improves access to advanced medical insights in under-resourced area
Forte BCI is a device that allows user to create music in real-time through thought alone towards applications such as music therapy and neurorehabilitation.
The NeoPulse device addresses the critical need for diagnosing cardiac arrhythmias in neonates by offering a portable, single-patient, reusable cardiac monitor designed for continuous at-home use. Unlike traditional EKG Systems, NeoPulse features a comfortable, fabric-based electrode system that wraps around the chest and shoulders without adhesives, making it ideal for delicate newborn skin.
A device used to optimize the care and communication among code team members in the setting of a cardiac arrest in an effort to improve patient survival.
Click the Teams Gallery Box below to expand the page and learn more about each of the teams in this year's Bench to Bedside competition
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All teams from the 2025 Bench to Bedside competition listed alphabetically.
Aloe
Audial
Baby Ears
Back Pain: Massage and
Acupressure
C-Blu
Code Clock
CodeMed AICovenant Care Crew
EmpowHer
EXOShoulder
Forte BCI
FrostByte
GastroCatch
HeartRayt
Impedia
Infection Fighting Innovations
Levator Ani Device (LeAD)
Maxillofacial Rehaf
MKB Accessibility: Accessichart
NeoPulse
NuMouse
OcuGuide
OrthoBalance
OrthoBolt
Pebble AI
RUTID
The Wound-Reel
TriagePoint
UV Sense
Zonal Coating Application
System (ZCAS)
Aloe
We are creating a handheld, AI powered ultrasound device that patients with rotator cuff injuries will take home to monitor their rehabilitation. Reinjury often begins with substantial, asymptomatic tears, and we aim to see those tears before the patient feels them.
Audial
Audial is developing a hydrophobic acoustic mesh for behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids to prevent sound distortion caused by water exposure. By repelling moisture while maintaining sound clarity, Audial addresses one of the most common causes of hearing aid failure and enhances user experience.
Baby Ears
An accessory device that assists clinicians in creating more accurate and reproducible results for bone conduction hearing screening tests on infants through adjustability and verification.
Back Pain: Massage and Acupressure
Our team has designed a back massager in order to combat back pain by massaging the muscle tension away and releasing trigger points/ muscle knots.
C-Blu
C-Blu is dedicated to eliminating cervical cancer. Their team designed a colposcope that improves the accuracy of visually diagnosing cervical cancer using fluorescence. C-Blu’s innovative design is simple and affordable, making it an ideal solution for saving women worldwide.
Code Clock
The Code Clock ACLS device is a tablet-sized device used during in-hospital cardiac arrest to designate roles, time and record resuscitation efforts, improve team coordination, improve adherence to the Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) algorithm, and help providers quickly get to the root cause of the cardiac arrest without the mental burden of recalling complex, time-sensitive protocols.
CodeMed AI
CodeMed AI is an AI-powered medical scribe that listens to doctor-patient conversations and generates real-time, structured clinical notes. Designed to integrate with any EHR system, it saves physicians time, reduces costs, and improves accuracy. Future features include automated billing, making CodeMed AI a complete solution for clinical documentation and efficiency.
Covenant Care Crew
We have developed a novel surgical device and procedure to address the problem of peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter migration, which currently results in a 37% reoperation for revision rate (Prabhakar et. al, 2019). By addressing catheter migration, PD catheter use will be a more viable alternative to traditional hemodialysis.
EmpowHer
EmpowHer is an AI-powered mental health app for women featuring Ella, an AI chatbot for screenings, self-care tools, and GP connections. It offers teleconsultations, a verified medical forum, and a wellness dashboard to improve mental health access and support.
EXOShoulder
A medical device designed for preventing shoulder dislocations in patients in the epilepsy monitoring unit.
Forte BCI
A device that allows user to create music in real-time through thought alone towards applications such as music therapy and neurorehabilitation.
FrostByte
FrostByte is a glove liner that continuously monitors skin temperature for frostbite and kicks on an automatic emergency heating system when the user is at risk. The system is extremely energy efficient, allowing for continuous monitoring for up to 1 week without the need to charge and up to 12 hours of continuous heating.
GastroCatch
GastroCatch is a swallowable, tethered capsule that collects 50 μL of gastric juice for diagnosing gastrointestinal conditions like eosinophilic esophagitis. Designed to be low-cost, minimally invasive, and anesthesia-free, it improves patient comfort and accessibility while reducing healthcare costs.
HeartRayt
Neonatal patients are attached to high quantities of wires in order to collect vitals data. However, these many wires can be physical and emotional burdens for patients, parents, and staff. Our contactless heart rate monitoring system utilizes lab-proven laser vibrometry technology to collect and process vital data without the burden or danger of a tangled mess of wires.
HerSight
HerSight is a visualization system that allows patients and medical students to see the vaginal canal and cervix during Pap smears. HerSight aims to improve patient centered care by providing means of education and improved communication between the leading provider and others in the room.
Impedia
Impedia Smartwatch: Our smartwatch uses bioimpedance technology to measure blood pressure non-invasively, eliminating the need for a bulky, uncomfortable blood-pressure cuff. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, with high blood pressure being the #1 modifiable risk factor for developing the disease. Impedia empowers consumers by enabling blood pressure monitoring anytime, anywhere, at the touch of a button.
Infection Fighting Innovations
Our team has designed and developed the first Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) prototype that offers built in source control. The design allows exhaust to be directed away from the surgical field reducing contamination to sterile fields while offering a layer of comfort with cooling effect of exhaust.
Levator Ani Device (LeAD)
This project aims to design a handheld device that accurately measures the force of the levator ani muscles. Weak levator ani muscles can lead to urinary and fecal incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. Current methods for assessing pelvic floor muscle strength limit access to preventative care.
Maxillofacial Rehab
The BiteBright is a novel oral rehabilitation device designed to revolutionize recovery from mandibular surgery. It utilizes a positive reinforcement feedback stimulus to encourage patient adherence to physical therapy routines and maximize recovery effectiveness. The BiteBright is not only cheaper than its market competitors, but it also boasts a hands-free operation and a discreet construction design.
MKB Accessibility: Accessichart
MKB Accessibility is a medical design company founded by three medical students with a shared passion for improving care for patients with disabilities. We specialize in creating innovative solutions, ranging from computer technology to advanced medical devices, that enhance accessibility and comfort. Our goal is to bridge the gap in healthcare, ensuring excellent quality of care for this patient population.
NeoPulse
The NeoPulse device addresses the critical need for diagnosing cardiac arrhythmias in neonates by offering a portable, single-patient, reusable cardiac monitor designed for continuous at-home use. Unlike traditional EKG Systems, NeoPulse features a comfortable, fabric-based electrode system that wraps around the chest and shoulders without adhesives, making it ideal for delicate newborn skin.
NuMouse
A wearable computer accessibility device empowering people with spinal cord injuries
OcuGuide
OcuGuide is an LED-based gaze fixation device that directs the patient’s eye movements and stabilizes fixation during eye surgeries such as cataract and glaucoma procedures. OcuGuide aims to shorten surgery time, reduce complications, and improve the experience for both the patient and physician.
OrthoBalance
Improper ligament balancing during Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) leads to pain, stiffness, and instability, often requiring revision. OrthoBalance provides physicians with an affordable, data-driven tool to assess and adjust ligament tension intraoperatively to effectively enhance precision, reduce revision rates, and improve patient outcomes. OrthoBalance ensures that patients get the outcome that they deserve the first time.
OrthoBolt
OrthoBolt LLC fills the gaps of the increasing challenges in spinal procedures, particularly in patients with osteoporosis and low bone density, through the design of an expandable pedicle screw optimized with cutting-edge rotating strut technology. These screws offer optimal anchoring in both healthy and compromised bone, reducing the risk of complications associated with traditional screw fixation methods.
Pebble AI
Pebble AI is a non-invasive, AI-driven suggestions tool specializing in HIE. It leverages multimodal AI (audio + video) to provide fast, accurate, and cost-effective assessments. Scalable and integrable with healthcare systems, Pebble AI enhances early diagnosis, reduces human error, and improves access to advanced medical insights in under-resourced areas.
RUTID
The goal of RUTID is to decrease antibiotic resistance by providing rapid and accurate bacterial test results.
The Wound-Reel
The Wound-Reel seeks to revolutionize post-operative wound drain care with the use of Bluetooth® enabled remote patient monitoring. The Wound-Reel is a wearable device that digitally records and reports drain fluid volume output and flow rate, seamlessly connecting patients with their care team through a user-friendly mobile application and electronic health records - ultimately increasing efficiency and optimizing post-operative care.
TriagePoint
TriagePoint is an AI-powered health platform that delivers fast, intelligent symptom assessments to help users make informed care decisions. By reducing unnecessary ER visits and supporting clinical efficiency, TriagePoint empowers patients and healthcare systems alike through accessible, research-backed triage technology.
UV Sense
UV Sense is launching UV1, a wearable device that tracks real-time UV exposure to help prevent sunburns and long-term skin damage. Designed to support proactive sun protection and reduce skin cancer risk, UV1 empowers users with actionable data. Launching May 13, 2025.
Zonal Coating Application System (ZCAS)
The Zonal Coating Application System (ZCAS) is a novel technique for coating cardiovascular devices to enhance endothelialization and reduce thrombus. Initially designed for the WATCHMAN LAAO device, ZCAS applies a two-part coating: a thromboresistant layer for blood-exposed areas and an endothelialization-promoting layer for tissue-contacting zones, minimizing peri-device leakage and improving long-term device performance.
