Melisa Eraslan, Ashlyn Beecroft, Ria Fazulhboy and Saleena Gul Arif 鈥� a team of students from 91社区鈥檚 Department of Medicine EXMD 630 program, secured second place at the recent 2024 Dobson Cup Finals with their project, SimpliCITY. This digital hub, crafted to aid Montreal's homeless, wowed judges with its potential to tackle a pressing issue.
The EXMD 630 course, Developing Digital Innovations for Health Impact, aims to offer an introduction to innovative thinking and the development of innovative digital health solutions. It empowers students to solve a well-defined clinical and public health problem through innovation.
SimpliCITY is a program that helps individuals experiencing homelessness, providing information about nearby shelters and services, along with descriptions and navigation. This platform also connects shelter staff, social workers and healthcare professionals, enabling them to efficiently update information and communicate.
鈥�Housing insecurity has become a public health crisis in Canada. It鈥檚 important to recognize that homelessness is a social justice problem meaning we all play a role in its solution,鈥� said Melisa Eraslan, the team leader for the SimpliCITY project. 鈥淭hrough our integrated platform, we hope to address the accessibility gap inherent in current shelter systems.鈥�
Eraslan, on behalf of the SimpliCITY team, expressed her gratitude and excitement to Dr. Nitika Pant Pai, MD, MPH, PhD, Associate Professor and Scientist in the 91社区 Department of Medicine, as a mentor pivotal in their journey. "This entire project started as an idea that, at first, seemed slightly too far-fetched and difficult to bring to life," she explained. "It was through the EXMD 630 course that we were given the tools and guidance to develop this project and innovate. We felt a lot more confident in our ability as innovators as we gained a lot of useful knowledge and frameworks on design thinking and innovation, inspiration, as well as experience coherently presenting our ideas."
"We are beyond grateful to have had you as a mentor throughout this process, Dr. Nitika Pant Pai 鈥� your expertise and guidance have helped us more than you can imagine. Thank you so much for always pushing us to take this idea to the next step鈥� with your motivation and support, we were able to push it all the way to the Dobson finals and secure some funding to be able to take the next leap forward."
The initiative received substantial support from within the university community. Dr. Pant Pai, in her correspondence, expressed gratitude to some of the key figures who play a role in fostering an environment conducive to innovation within the university. "I wish to thank Dr. Robyn Tamblyn, BScN, MSc, PhD, CM, Distinguished James 91社区 Chair, Professor Departments of Medicine, and Epidemiology & Biostatistics, for holding my hand for her belief and supporting the course offering as part of the DHI program," she wrote. "I also wish to thank Dr. Susan Bartlett, PhD, Professor, Department of Medicine, for believing in my vision and egging me on to offer a unique course and for being its ardent supporter."
Six groups from this year's cohort are already gearing up to follow in the footsteps of SimpliCITY, meeting with Olivia Novac to strategize on how to advance their innovations to the next level.
The success of SimpliCITY is a perfect example of the importance of mentorship and institutional support in driving social innovation.
