Alfred Health News
Simple selfie turns into medical coup
Two Monash University fifth-year medical students, one of which is doing his research year at The Alfred, have taken out a prestigious global student technology competition, the biggest such prize in the world.
Jarrel Seah, along with his partner Jennifer Tang (who will be an Alfred intern next year) are this year's winners of the Microsoft Imagine Cup for their project: Eyenaemia.
Their project shows that screening for anaemia is as simple as taking a selfie. The simple, non-invasive screening tool analyses conjunctiva and calculates the risk of anaemia.
Jarrel, who is doing his research in Alfred radiology, says the pair thought of the idea when doing medical placements in rural and remote areas of Australia.
"Seeing people travel for hours to access medical care and seeing areas where there simply wasn't the equipment to do a blood test made us think we needed to come up with a simple and efficient way to screen for anaemia," Jarrel said.
The idea impressed Microsoft, especially when considering that two billion people suffer from anaemia worldwide. In developing countries, 50% of preschool children and every second pregnant woman is considered anaemic. There are many underlying causes of anaemia including malaria, malnutrition, HIV, cancer and diabetes.
The cheap easily accessible screening solution is targeted at everyday people.
"If you can take a selfie, you can use Eyenaemia," Jarrel said.
"We both have an interest in technology and software development and the medical field so we're creating a bridge between the two. We envisage using technology to help people stay alive and healthy."
Alfred Health chief executive Andrew Way congratulated the pair, saying this type of innovative thinking is becoming part of The Alfred culture.
"More and more we are seeing the benefits of technology in healthcare. This is a terrific achievement and we look forward to further exploring possibilities in healthcare."
The prize includes a private meeting with Microsoft founder Bill Gates to share their project.