COVID-19-Focused Pediatric Device Competition in the News

The National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation (NCC-PDI) – a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-funded collaboration between Children's National Hospital and the University of Maryland's Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices – garnered media attention for its recent pediatric device innovation competition which, this year, focused on COVID-19.

This summer, NCC-PDI moved its annual pediatric device innovation online and spotlighted innovations that focused on COVID-19-related pediatric medical devices to improve children's health care. Sixteen finalists competed for a share of $250,000 in total grant awards and a potential invitation to join JLABS, Johnson and Johnson’s facility to to be housed in the new Children’s National Research and Innovation Campus in Washington, D.C.

On Thursday, Aug. 6, ABC7 WJLA highlighted the virtual competition and NCC-PDI's continued focus on health innovations to benefit pediatric patients.

"Children are not small adults. You cannot simply miniaturize a device that was tested and specifically designed for adults," said Dr. Kolaleh Eskandanian, vice president and chief innovation officer at Children’s National.

WJLA's news story is available online.

Published August 7, 2020