2025 Innovation Challenge winners showcased ideas to tackle minimally invasive gynecological surgery, pediatric sleep apnea and an AI-supported radiology platform

Three employee-led projects at Northwell Health, New York’s largest health system, have been awarded a total of $1.3 million in funding as part of its 2025 Innovation Challenge. The funding will support the development of innovative approaches to care delivery and scientific advancement aiming to transform the future of health care. The announcement was made during the health system’s Made for Big Ideas™ Showcase on May 1.

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Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health, speaks at this year’s employee 2025 Big Ideas Showcase. (Credit: Northwell Health).

Lead investigators of the three winning projects included:

• Phillip Connell, MD, Northwell Obstetrics and Gynecology gynecologic surgery fellow, for his work on a new technology platform that connects operating room monitors, a wireless camera and extended reality (XR) glasses for streaming of high quality, low latency video;
• Eric Gantwerker, MD, pediatric otolaryngologist at Northwell Health’s Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park, for his work on an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled detection program that can help diagnose pediatric sleep apnea based on sound recordings from home devices;
• Matthew Barish, MD, vice-chair of the Imaging Service Line, CMIO, for his work on an all-in-one radiology platform for AI insights, clinician feedback and continuous diagnostic improvement.

“At Northwell, we’re proud to cultivate a culture that empowers our team members — no matter what department you work in – to promote innovative and new ways of thinking to improve how we deliver care,” said Michael Dowling, Northwell president and CEO. “These submissions showcase our team’s most unique approaches for addressing major health care challenges.”

Hundreds of Northwell employees have submitted ideas to the competition since it launched in 2017. To date, the health system has awarded funding for 15 projects to help advance their projects and develop their inventions. After a rigorous screening process, six finalist teams are chosen to present their pitches in person to an esteemed panel of judges. This year’s judges included:

• Bunny Ellerin, digital health expert and entrepreneur
• Jessica Federer, board member of Angelini Ventures
• Sunny Kumar, MD, partner at Informed Ventures
• Russ Richmond, MD, CEO and co-founder of Laudio

“At Northwell, our team members are our greatest asset, and we believe that the best ideas often come from the people closest to the work,” said Jason Naidich, MD, senior vice president and chief innovation officer at Northwell. “This competition is a testament to Northwell's dedication to creating the future of healthcare and its unwavering support for the visionaries who lead the way.”

This year’s winners include:

A new technology platform for the operating room

Presented by Dr. Connell and Johnny Zhang, specialist with the Biomedical Design Center for Learning Innovation, this invention combines a camera and XR glasses with existing operating room equipment, including monitors, cameras and lighting, to stream high-quality, low-latency video. The result is a portable, immersive experience offering real-time, AI-enhanced surgical assistance, including live remote expert consultations. This technology promises to transform laparoscopic surgery and expand access to minimally invasive procedures.

“This platform is going to start by increasing access to minimally invasive techniques locally and nationally,” said Dr. Connell. “But it will also build into a platform that helps surgeons improve their efficacy and improve patient safety by not being inhibited by all the wires and bulky systems that currently surround the patient.”

Other team members include: Michael Nimaroff, MD, MBA, senior vice president and executive director of Northwell OB/GYN and chair OB/GYN at North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center; and Allison Neuwirth, project manager with the Biomedical Design of Center for Learning Innovation.

AI-enabled detection of pediatric sleep apnea

Presented by Dr. Gantwerker and Patrick Scheffler, MD, assistant professor otolaryngology at Northwell, this program helps collect data from home devices and applies it to AI-enabled analysis that can help diagnose pediatric obstructive sleep apnea, especially for families who cannot access sleep centers for studies.

“We’re so excited for this funding so it can go directly into creating this application and make a big difference in pediatric sleep apnea care,” said Dr. Gantwerker. “The goal is to expand access of sleep studies, especially for those who currently lack it, significantly improving patient outcomes.”

An all-in-one radiology platform

Presented by Dr. Barish and James Thannickal, this new program streamlines radiology workflows by seamlessly integrating and assessing various AI tools. This allows radiologists to efficiently review and incorporate AI-generated insights, leading to faster, more accurate diagnoses and improved patient care.

“Patient care can suffer when mistakes and different AI tools get in the way of clinical care,” said Thannickal. “This program will not replace humans but help create a more streamlined process for radiologists for better patient outcomes.”

Other team members include David Hirschorn, MD, chief of informatics and imaging; and Daniel Nicosia, software engineer.

“Since 2017, the Innovation Challenge has consistently provided an exceptional platform for our Northwell colleagues to present their inventive solutions,” said Richard Mulry, president and CEO of Northwell Holdings. “We are delighted to collaborate with them, furthering these advancements and broadening their influence on how care is provided and experienced not just within Northwell, but across the health care landscape.”

Northwell Holdings, the for-profit venture investment arm of Northwell, works with doctors, scientists, staff and entrepreneurs both in and out of the health system to advance the commercial potential for internal innovation and development of commercial joint ventures.

The last innovation challenge, held in 2023, awarded two transformative projects: iNav (AI-driven cancer patient navigation) and StrokeFighter (bioelectronic therapy for stroke) each received $500,000 to further their research and development. Other past projects funded have included research into the first non-invasive diagnostic test for endometriosis, a therapeutic drug candidate as a potential treatment for HPV infection, real-time actionable data related to ED utilization, and the allocation of clinical resources and infrared thermography for early detection of tissue pressure injury.

About Northwell Health

Northwell is the largest not-for-profit health system in the Northeast, serving residents of New York and Connecticut with 28 hospitals, more than 1,000 outpatient facilities, 22,000 nurses and over 20,000 physicians. Northwell cares for more than three million people annually in the New York metro area, including Long Island, the Hudson Valley, western Connecticut and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Northwell is New York State’s largest private employer with over 104,000 employees – including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners and Nuvance Health Medical Practices – who are working to change health care for the better. Northwell is making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. Northwell is training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About the Feinstein Institutes:

The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50+ research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its six institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, molecular medicine, and translational research. We are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – an innovative field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, we offer an accelerated PhD program. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn.

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