On March 12, the Brandeis Innovation Center hosted its annual SparkTank pitch competition, an experiential learning community that provides seed funding and mentorship to turn innovative ideas into viable businesses. Unique among collegiate pitch competitions, SparkTank is open to students, faculty, and staff from across the university. At this year’s event, a team of four Heller students was awarded first prize for their project, DermX – Delivering Dermatological Care in Conflict Zones.
The Heller team included three students from the MS in Global Health Policy and Management program (GHPM): Abdalrahman Ahmed, Taiba Aziz, and Youssef Hussien; and MA in Sustainable International Development student Bipasha Roy. Their winning project, DermX, is a mobile application specifically designed to function in low-bandwidth environments, connecting patients in need with licensed dermatologists from neighboring countries. By leveraging technology, medical networks, and community-based outreach, DermX delivers timely, remote dermatological care to populations that would otherwise go unseen and untreated.
The idea for DermX was sparked when Abdalrahman, a medical doctor, used his network to connect his sister in Gaza with a dermatologist abroad via WhatsApp. After arranging a consultation, his sister received the treatment she needed for a skin condition. “That experience opened my eyes to the thousands of people in areas without access to basic dermatological care,” says Abdalrahman. “That's how DermX was born—out of necessity, empathy, and the belief that access to care shouldn't depend on geography or circumstance."
In addition to winning first place, the DermX team also won the People’s Award, an honor given to the team voted by the audience as most likely to win the competition. The first place prize of $5,000 and People’s Award of $500 will be used to finish development of the product, release the final version, hire key staff, and enter the market.
“We’re grateful for the support of Heller faculty members A.K. Nandakumar, Moaven Razavi, Joseph Assan, and the broader Heller community,” says the DermX team. “Their guidance and encouragement were instrumental throughout our journey."