A team of students from the Duke-NUS’ Health Innovator Programme has won S$20,000 to develop a device that prevents vaginal tears during childbirth.

The nine-month fellowship was launched in September 2022 and aims to instil an innovation-driven mindset in students so they will continue to improve clinical practice after they graduate.

The inaugural cohort comprised three teams tasked to identify issues in the field of women’s health and come up with solutions.

This year’s winning team invented a bracket-like tool that is positioned between the vagina and anus, areas which are subjected to intense pressure when the baby’s head passes through the vaginal opening.

The device aims to redirect pressure away from these anatomical structures, thus lowering the rates of vaginal tears and protecting mothers from physical and mental trauma.

Nine in ten women experience vaginal tears during natural childbirth, with three in ten requiring stiches.

KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, a part of Duke-NUS academic medicine partner SingHealth, is the main clinical partner for the programme this year while business partners are also on board to mentor the students.  

In each team, a third-year Duke-NUS medical student worked with peers from the National University of Singapore’s engineering and business programmes.

The fellowship culminated in a ‘shark tank’-style event on 4 April, where students pitched their prototypes and fielded questions from a panel of judges comprising academics, research scientists and industry leaders.

“My most memorable experience is going down to the clinics and seeing first-hand what happens there. Coming up with an idea to mitigate the problem makes me feel that I can make an impact in the healthcare sector.

“I am excited that our project could result in a device that can help mothers during childbirth,” said Mr Low Feng Yi, a third-year medical student at Duke-NUS, who’s part of the winning team.

Mr Low added that the team will be using the prize money to refine their prototype. He hopes clinical trials can be conducted next year.

“What I liked about the winning project was that it involved a real problem and took a very practical approach to finding a solution. It was a simple idea but they’re often the best.

“I was really impressed with all the teams – these are students who started with a blank slate. They always had the patient in mind, focused on clinical needs, and that’s what innovation is all about,” said Dr Christopher Laing, who’s one of the judges. He was formerly Vice Dean for the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Duke-NUS.

Echoing his sentiments, Assistant Professor Rena Dharmawan, who conceptualised the programme, said: “You have no idea how proud we are of the participants.”

“Just nine months ago, they joined us in this journey with an open mind. They went through numerous highs and lows as a team. They pushed themselves in many ways and tried things they probably never had the chance to, outside their fields and industries,” added Asst Prof Dharmawan, who is also Assistant Dean for Innovation Education and Ecosystem Development at Duke-NUS.

The other two teams also addressed key needs during a woman’s journey to become a mother. One team developed a handheld ultrasound device for mothers to assess foetal wellbeing from the comfort of their homes; the other designed an enhanced embryo transfer catheter to boost success rates of in vitro fertilisation. 

To date, two provisional patents have been filed for the cohort’s projects. 

“The programme illustrates the essence of medical innovation – that is to bring together teams of people from different backgrounds and different perspectives to focus on a problem. It’s a great proof-of-concept for how we ought to be teaching and nurturing innovation on our campus.

“We could use this as a model for how we expand and grow medical innovation to make discoveries and improve patients’ lives,” said Professor Thomas Coffman, Dean of Duke-NUS.

All three teams will be pursuing full patent applications over the next 12 months.

Next year, the Health Innovator Programme will center on primary health and oncology and double its student intake.