HeartBridge team earns overall victory and Best Pitch award in MEDscienceTECH program finale, highlighting a year of hands-on medical, robotics, and AI learning
Reading, MA — For high school students, learning science inside Harvard Medical School is an extraordinary opportunity. This year, 19 Austin Prep students in the Harvard Medical School MEDscienceTECH program did just that, diagnosing simulated patients, working with surgical robots, applying artificial intelligence to medical problems, and pitching original innovations to judges.
The yearlong STEM immersion concluded this spring with the MEDscienceTECH Surgical Innovation Showcase at Harvard Medical School. Five teams presented original surgical innovations, demonstrated robotic prototypes, and made their case for mock investment before judges from Boston University and Austin Prep.
Throughout the year, students worked in Harvard Medical School’s MEDscience simulation suites, practiced clinical communication, explored anatomy and surgical techniques, and applied physics principles through hands-on engineering challenges. The final event brought that work into a professional setting that felt part operating room, part robotics lab, and part “Shark Tank.”
The Pitch: Three Minutes to Change the Medical Landscape
Each team opened with a three-minute pitch introducing a patient case, explaining the medical problem, and presenting a robotic surgical solution.
The projects included kidney tumor removal surgery, brain aneurysm surgery, aortic aneurysm repair, and MIRCRS, a minimally invasive robotic coronary revascularization system intended to reduce the need for open-heart surgery.
HeartBridge, made up of Ellie Underwood ’27 of Lynnfield, Jordyn Petitjean ’27 of Peabody, Ava Pazzia ’26 of Burlington, and Kaitlyn Riordan ’26 of Georgetown, proposed a robotic system to treat a patent foramen ovale, or PFO, a small hole in the heart that can increase the risk of blood clots and stroke.
“What we did is design a robot to complete patent foramen ovale surgery, also known as a PFO,” said Kaitlyn of the HeartBridge team. “What that is, is a small hole in the heart that fails to close after birth.”
The team centered its pitch on a simulated patient who came in with migraines with aura and shortness of breath before being diagnosed with a PFO. HeartBridge students explained that their robot would guide a catheter through a vein in the leg and up to the heart, using imaging to locate the hole and position a closing device with greater precision.
“Currently, the surgery is not done robotically, which can be risky,” said Kaitlyn. “You have to deal with the heart beating and the muscles of the patient, so you have to make really precise and steady movements.”
The students also proposed a long flexible arm adaptation, a grabber tool to insert the mesh closure device, and a stabilization system to help control movement inside the heart.
“One very important addition we think we need for the robot is a stabilization system,” said Jordyn of the HeartBridge Team. “We need to make sure that nothing that isn’t supposed to be touched is getting touched.”
The Demo: Robots on the Table and Questions in Real Time
After the pitches, judges moved through demonstration stations, where students showed how their robotic systems worked and answered questions about design, function, limitations, and future improvements.
Teams demonstrated movement controls, camera systems, surgical tools, grabber mechanisms, and potential upgrades. Judges asked how the devices would be used by surgeons, what improvements were needed, and how the concepts could move from classroom prototype to real-world application.
For the Kidney Tumor Removal Surgery team of Maggie Gove ’26 of Beverly, Emma St. Arnaud ’27 of Melrose, Kayleigh Norton ’27 of Pelham, NH, and Kayla Scouten ’26 of North Reading, the demonstration centered on how robotics and AI imaging could support tumor detection and removal.
“We are performing a kidney tumor removal surgery, also known as a partial nephrectomy,” said Maggie. “Our goal is to remove only the tumor, so that we can keep the rest of the kidney working functionally.”
The students explained that their patient presented with side pain, back pain, and blood in her urine, leading to imaging that revealed a small mass. Their proposed robotic system would use small incisions, a camera, AI imaging, and a grabber tool to identify and remove the tumor.
“We want the surgery to be robotic because we want it to go as precisely as possible, especially when dealing with the kidney,” said Kayla. “We don’t want to puncture anything else in the patient.”
“Our robot improves patient outcomes by making the surgery more precise, safer, and faster for the patient while also helping reduce overall health costs,” said Kayleigh.
The judges brought a range of perspectives. The Boston University judges included Alex Barutis, who introduced himself as doing stem cell research at Boston Children’s Hospital; Trinity Olander, who described her work in molecular biology research at BU and as co-founder of a startup applying bioengineering to industry; and Nolan Vild, who introduced himself as an optical engineer working with optical neural networks.
The Austin Prep judges included Meaghan Holloran, Science Department Chair, who evaluated the students through the lens of scientific understanding and classroom learning, and Brett Rudy, Chief Marketing Officer, who brought a business and marketing perspective to questions of investment, adoption, and real-world impact.
The Awards: Investment Dollars, Diplomas, and a HeartBridge Win
At the end of the showcase, judges awarded mock investment dollars and recognized standout performances. Each judge received an allocation of pretend funding to award to the teams. The totals reflected the amount of support each project earned from the judging panel.
HeartBridge earned Best Pitch and was named the overall winner after receiving the most investment dollars from the judges. The team received $20,000 for its PFO robotic surgery concept. Judges praised the group for clearly connecting the patient’s story, medical problem, and proposed solution, and for presenting with confidence and command of the material.
The Kidney Tumor Removal Surgery team earned Best Demo and received $11,000. Judges recognized the group for connecting its patient case to the robot demonstration and explaining how the technology could support a surgical procedure.
The Brain Aneurysm Surgery team received $6,000, the MIRCRS team received $5,000, and the Aortic Aneurysm team received $1,000.
The day also included a career conversation with the judges. Students asked about undergraduate and graduate pathways, choosing a major, medical research, engineering, business strategy, marketing, and teamwork. The judges encouraged students to pursue hands-on experiences, listen carefully to teammates, and understand that innovation depends on both strong ideas and the ability to communicate their value.
The program concluded with a graduation ceremony, where students received diplomas recognizing their completion of the prestigious yearlong Harvard Medical School MEDscienceTECH program.
By then, the investment dollars had been handed out, the robots had made their case, and the newest MEDscienceTECH graduates had plenty to celebrate. For Austin Prep students, it was a fitting finish to a year spent chasing big questions in one of the world’s most recognized medical learning environments.
2026 Harvard Medical School MEDscience Program Graduates from Austin Prep
Austin Prep students celebrate the completion of the Harvard Medical School MEDscienceTECH program with their diplomas outside Harvard Medical School. Also pictured are Mrs. Amy Foley, Dean of STEM; Mr. Francesco Donati, Science Faculty; and Ms. Meaghan Holloran, Science Department Chair.
The following 19 Austin Prep students completed the prestigious yearlong Harvard Medical School MEDscienceTECH program and received certificates recognizing their work in a hands-on STEM experience blending medical simulation, robotics, artificial intelligence, and career exploration.
- Amelia Amadin ’26
- Caiden Calvani ’27
- Jack Ellis ’27
- Zack Floyd ’27
- Maggie Gove ’26
- Gabby Maggiacomo ’26
- Grace Monagle ’27
- Ava Moore ’26
- Madelyn Needham ’26
- Kayleigh Norton ’27
- Ava Pazzia ’26
- Jordyn Petitjean ’27
- Emma Putney ’27
- Kaitlyn Riordan ’26
- Samantha Roache ’26
- Kayla Scouten ’26
- Hunter Slye ’27
- Emma St. Arnaud ’27
- Ellie Underwood ’27
