Nova Southeastern University pharmacist wins international Microsoft health app challenge

More and more people are downloading applications or 'apps' to their cell phones to help manage their health, and in less than five years it is predicted that 50 percent of smartphone owners will have downloaded mobile health apps.

These developments have not gone unnoticed by Nova Southeastern University (NSU) Research Fellow Zaher Hajar, PharmD. Recently, Hajar, who is based at the College of Pharmacy (COP) Center for Consumer Health Informatics Research, assembled a team of clinicians and coders in response to an international app challenge by Microsoft and Health 2.0.

The "Re-imagining Consumer Health With Windows 8 and HealthVault Challenge" called upon innovators to design a "next generation health management app." Hajar and the team, comprised of NSU COP faculty member Kevin A. Clauson, PharmD. and Windows Phone 7 Evangelists from Techmind, created an app named Health eConnect and submitted their entry.

Following deliberation by a panel of judges from Microsoft, Health 2.0 News recently announced that NSU's Health eConnect app was crowned the winner of the app challenge.

The team was awarded $10,000, a Microsoft Surface Pro, and inclusion as one of Microsoft preferred Window 8 partners. Submission of the Health eConnect app to the Windows Store under terms of the challenge also grants a waiver of the standard Go-Live fee of $20,000 and other benefits.

"NSU is incredibly proud of this team of innovators for using technology to find ways to make patients' lives easier," Fred Lippman, R.Ph., Ed.D., chancellor of NSU's Health Professions Division. "It is our goal to translate research and knowledge into practical uses that benefit the public."

According to Health 2.0 News, Health eConnect enables consumers to manage chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes through wireless links to blood pressure cuffs, glucose monitors and other devices. By using data from HealthVault, the app presents users' health data in a visual manner and enables timely notifications to help consumers more actively manage their conditions and remember to take medications.

HealthVault synchronizes patients' medication regimens and other useful data, providing information on drug interactions and other timely, helpful information for the user.

"It is an honor to be recognized by a leading technology company like Microsoft, and we look forward to working with the Health eConnect team and Microsoft to continue to refine the application and prepare it for final release in the Windows Store," said Hajar.

According to the challenge's website, the judges used the following criteria to determine the winning app:

Provided by Nova Southeastern University