The Hackathon showcased just how much meaningful and exciting change can be achieved in healthcare systems within two days. By bringing brilliant minds together, we witnessed the power of creativity, collaboration, and innovation in harnessing AI to build high-value health systems. It was truly inspiring that our teams developed transformative, AI-driven solutions with the potential to tackle pressing global health challenges, proving that multidisciplinary teamwork can rapidly turn ideas into real-world impact. We look forward to seeing how these innovations evolve and shape the future of healthcare.
Dr Lei Lu, Lecturer in Health Data Science and AI.
02 May 2025
King's hosts London Hub for Harvard Health Systems Innovation Hackathon
The School of Life Course & Population Sciences and King’s Population Health Institute welcomed participants from across the UK to the London Hub of the 2025 Harvard Health Systems Innovation Hackathon.
Held on 11–12 April 2025, the event was the sixth Annual Building High-Value Health Systems Hackathon, organised by the Harvard Health Systems Innovation Lab. This year’s theme, Building High-Value Health Systems: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence, brought together a diverse group of students, researchers, and professionals to address some of the most pressing challenges facing healthcare systems around the world.
Led by Professor Josip Car, Head of School of Life Course & Population Sciences and Director of King’s Population Health Institute, and organised by Dr Lei Lu, Lecturer in Health Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, the London Hub joined 19 global hubs across 18 countries to develop innovative, AI-driven solutions aimed at improving health systems worldwide.
The Hackathon is designed to support early-stage innovations, fostering an environment where individuals and teams can develop and refine their ideas. Over two intensive days, participants from universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Imperial, UCL, King’s College London, LSE, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Greenwich, and others, collaborated to design solutions addressing critical healthcare issues.
The focus areas of the event included cardiovascular disease, mental health disorders, maternal health, health literacy, and workforce shortages. With support from local mentors, who offered expertise in healthcare, health systems, artificial intelligence, and digital health, teams refined their ideas before presenting their solutions to a panel of judges.
The London Hub was proud to announce two winning teams. Adriana Taurinskaite, Prakhar Vats, and Vikas Vyas, alongside Avni Jambholkar, Bharti Devi, Henry Holms, Hyunhee Lee, and Joana Teixeira, were recognised for their innovative and transformative solutions. These teams will advance to present their ideas to a global judging panel and participate in the Harvard Health Systems Innovation Lab’s four-week online Venture Incubation Program later this year.
At King’s, we are committed to leading global efforts in transforming healthcare through digital innovation. Hosting the London Hub of the Harvard HSIL Hackathon demonstrated the incredible potential of multidisciplinary collaboration and AI-driven creativity. I am proud of how our teams delivered impactful solutions to address pressing health issues. Together, we are shaping a future where digital technology, AI, and human ingenuity combine to build high-value, sustainable health systems for all.
Professor Josip Car, Head of School of Life Course & Population Sciences.
By fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and embracing the potential of AI, the event highlighted King’s pivotal role in shaping the next generation of health system solutions with global partners, driven by purpose, expertise, and a shared vision for equitable, high-value care worldwide.
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Professor of Population and Digital Health Sciences
Lecturer in Health Data Science and AI