Winners Announced: Firefly Grand Challenge Competition for Innovations in Public Health Emergencies

NEW YORK (April 17, 2024) - Firefly Innovations, the premier public health entrepreneurship platform of the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, in collaboration with the New York City Pandemic Response Institute, is proud to announce the winners of the Grand Challenge Competition for Innovations in Public Health Emergencies.

The competition sought to identify the most promising ideas and technological solutions for public health emergencies - from pandemics to climate change - within the following focus areas:

  • Access to Care and Social Services Solutions, which improve the ability of residents to fill their critical needs during public health emergencies.

  • Community Engagement & Communications Solutions, which enhance the ability to reach and mobilize the public.

  • Data Sharing, Analytics, Modeling, & Forecasting Solutions, which increase the prediction and shared understanding of public health emergencies.

  • Diagnostic Solutions, which address access gaps and advance point-of-care, laboratory, or other testing efforts.

Submissions were required to include an emphasis on health equity and social determinants of health and encouraged to incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning.

"We were truly impressed by the caliber of submissions we received for the Grand Challenge Competition," said Dr. Terry Huang, founder of Firefly Innovations. "The winning projects showcase the power of innovation and collaboration in developing effective strategies to mitigate the impacts of pandemics on our communities."

After a rigorous evaluation process, nine outstanding submissions were selected for their ingenuity, creativity, and potential for real-world impact. The winning submissions represent a diverse array of approaches in addressing critical aspects of pandemic response.

  • David Lee

    Idea: PandeMesh
    Focus Area: Data Sharing, Analytics, Modeling, & Forecasting

  • Justin Snair

    Idea: preppr.ai
    Focus Area: Community Engagement & Communications

  • Noga Aharony

    Idea: Genome Language Model Prediction
    Focus Area: Diagnostic Solutions

  • Maxim Petrovsky

    Idea: Centralized Housing Tracking
    Focus Area: Access to Care and Social Services

  • ​​Vanson Lee

    Idea: AI Communications Platform
    Focus Area: Community Engagement & Communications

  • Madhury Ray

    Idea: NLP for Qualitative Data
    Focus Area: Data Sharing, Analytics, Modeling, & Forecasting

  • Spike Appel

    Idea: Grid Down Messaging System
    Focus Area: Community Engagement & Communications

  • Nicholas Whitcomb

    Idea: Real-Time KPIs for Patients
    Focus Area: Data Sharing, Analytics, Modeling, & Forecasting

  • Briana West

    Idea: Barbershop Kiosks
    Focus Area: Community Engagement & Communications

"We extend our sincere congratulations to the winners of the Grand Challenge Competition and also our appreciation to all of the applicants that participated," said W. Michael Short, Managing Director of Firefly Innovations. "Their dedication and ingenuity are instrumental in advancing the field of pandemic response and strengthening our resilience to future health crises."

The Grand Challenge Competition underscores the commitment of Firefly Innovations and the New York City Pandemic Response Institute to fostering innovation, cross-sector collaboration, and entrepreneurship-based interventions in pandemic preparedness and response efforts. We invite all winners to apply for a newly announced funding opportunity for Innovative Tools and Solutions to Address Public Health Emergencies.

Apply Now: Grand Challenge Competition for Innovations in Public Health Emergencies

NEW YORK CITY (MARCH 6, 2024) — Firefly Innovations, the premier public health entrepreneurship platform of the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, in partnership with the New York City Pandemic Response Institute (PRI), launched the Grand Challenge Competition for Innovations in Public Health Emergencies. 

The competition seeks to identify the most promising ideas and technological solutions for public health emergencies - from pandemics to climate change - within the following focus areas:

  • Access to Care and Social Services Solutions which improve the ability of residents to fill their critical needs during public health emergencies.

  • Community Engagement & Communications Solutions which enhance the ability to reach and mobilize the public.

  • Data Sharing, Analytics, Modeling, & Forecasting Solutions which increase the prediction and shared understanding of public health emergencies.

  • Diagnostic Solutions which address access gaps and advance point-of-care, laboratory, or other testing efforts.

Submissions are required to include an emphasis on Health Equity & Social Determinants of Health and submissions in the areas of Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning are highly encouraged but not required.  

Winning ideas will receive:

  • Up to ten $500 prizes for the top ideas

  • Opportunities to connect with multidisciplinary researchers at Columbia University and the City University of New York

  • Invitation to apply for a seed grant for R&D

  • An invitation to pitch at the PRI Innovation Forum

Deadline to apply is March 31, 2024.

The New York City Pandemic Response Institute (PRI) is a landmark initiative designed to proactively prepare NYC for future public health threats – from infectious disease to climate-related health emergencies. Its mission is to advance racial equity, build resilience, and promote public health preparedness throughout NYC and around the globe. PRI is led by ICAP at Columbia University with its key partner, the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy.

2024 CUNY Public Health Innovation Accelerator: Firefly Innovations Announces Launch of Application Portal

NEW YORK CITY (FEBRUARY 28, 2024) — Firefly Innovations, the premier public health entrepreneurship platform of the Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy at the City University of New York, announced today that it is accepting applications for the fifth annual CUNY Public Health Innovation Accelerator.

Although the 2024 application deadline is May 1, applications will be reviewed by Firefly Innovations on a rolling basis and ventures are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Photo Credit: Healthy People 2030

The 2024 Accelerator, which will operate in June and July, is focused on health equity, digital health, and the social determinants of health. The Accelerator will support at least eight ventures, in any sector, solving public health challenges nationally and globally. 

The Accelerator helps entrepreneurs access the tools, expertise, resources, and funding necessary to create and implement robust, scalable, and equitable public health solutions. The ventures in each cohort are immersed in a unique and global community of peers, mentors, industry experts, and investors through weekly workshops, presentations, consultations, coaching sessions, and individualized support valued at $25,000.

Ventures will also be featured in a global showcase for the Firefly Innovations network of funding partners who have the capacity to invest over $1 million.

In 2023, the Accelerator experienced record demand and interest with 116 ventures and 173 individual entrepreneurs in 24 countries competing to be among the eight ventures selected for the program.

KPMG is a sponsor of the 2024 CUNY Public Health Innovation Accelerator

“In the U.S., and globally, we face a ‘Cascading Crisis’ of various interconnected and compounding public health crises,” said W. Michael Short, Managing Director of Firefly Innovations and the CUNY Public Health Innovation Accelerator. “With the support of incredible partners, like KPMG, we’re accelerating and scaling innovative and sustainable ventures that are solving an array of significant public health crises.”

Originally launched in 2020 by Dr. Terry Huang and the team at Firefly Innovations, the Accelerator has provided over 3,000 hours of pro-bono professional services, coaching, and consulting support to 72 entrepreneurs from 30 ventures — 90% minority-led and 50% women-led — that are working to solve various public health crises in 17 countries.

After participating in the Accelerator, ventures have expanded, launched pilot projects, created jobs, developed new partnerships, and secured over $5.6 million in funding to accelerate and scale their public health impact in communities throughout the world.

Accelerator FAQs

We appreciate your interest and look forward to answering any questions you may have.

Click on a tab below to learn more.

  • The accelerator begins on June 5th and ends on July 25th. There will be weekly scheduled workshops and mentor sessions. Each workshop will last up to 3 hours each Wednesday 10am-1pm. Mentoring sessions will last up to 1 hour with a team of mentors and will take place each Thursday at either 10am or 11am.

  • All applicants are reviewed by the organizers of this accelerator, which include internal and external partners. Applicants will be graded on a rubric that includes, but is not limited to, the following considerations: feasibility of the operational or technical solution, understanding of the problem and market, business model development, and expertise alignment of the team.

  • All participating ventures will virtually present their public health solutions on July 25th, 2024 to a public audience of entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, among others, in a 5-minute pitch with a 7-minute Q&A. Ventures will be pitching our global network of funding partners with over $1 million available.

  • Public health covers a broad range of subject areas, from healthcare to food access, environment to education, or sanitation to water, because all of these issues ultimately impact public health. Even if you are not directly involved in the field of public health, you can generate a public health impact. Whether you are a scientist, a lawyer, or an artist, you can be a change agent. To learn more about public health goals, visit Healthy People 2030 to understand the vision of the public health field.

  • With a focus on health equity, digital health, and the social determinants of health, the annual accelerator supports eight ventures from any sector working to solve public health crises both nationally and globally. Here are some examples of categories of companies that have applied to past accelerators: Data Capture, Sharing & Analytics, Telemedicine, Streamlined Virtual Care, Medical Transportation, Chronic Disease Management & Monitoring, Care Coordination & Collaboration, Decision Assist, Population Health Management, Digital Marketplace Enablement, and Health e-Learning / Education, and much more.

  • Participating ventures come from any sector and produce public health impact. Venture teams can be a nonprofit, for-profit or social ventures. Teams are made up of all backgrounds and disciplines. Ventures do not have to be in the health sector or be made up of health professionals to qualify. Whether participants are scientists, lawyers, marketers, engineers, artists, students or teachers, they all become public health entrepreneurs through this accelerator.

  • Even though the Accelerator will focus on specific global health challenges and solutions, we encourage people of all backgrounds and occupations to apply. We strive to have a diverse collection of participants from various sectors working together. This Accelerator isn’t exclusive to public health professionals and practitioners.

  • No, the Accelerator does not have an equity requirement.

2023 Participant Testimonials:

Oatmeal Health is an AI-enabled Cancer Screening as a Service for under-represented patients of FQHCs and Health Plans.

"The accelerator was a great experience and is very different from many of the other programs that I have been a part of in the past. The goal of Firefly Innovations and CUNY SPH is not just education, but providing true connections to corporate partners, philanthropist groups, health plans, healthcare providers, and traditional venture capital all with one common goal to help support and accelerate public health initiatives like the tech-enabled cancer screenings that we provide to underserved patient populations.” 

— Jonathan Govette | Co-founder & COO

Tiny Docs supports healthcare partners to educate scares kids, improve kids’ health outcomes, and save providers time with educational and entertaining animated content.

"The accelerator provided the mentorship, education, and fellowship we needed to take our business to the next level. Beyond that, it helped me to become a better entrepreneur and leader. I am excited about continuing the partnership with Firefly Innovations and the great things that we will accomplish together to advance public health in the future."

— Sunny Williams | Founder & CEO

Sanitas Health is a psychology-based language analysis platform for understanding human emotions, personalities, motivations, and psychology from everyday language.

“The CUNY accelerator was tremendously helpful. The mentors and the focus on Public Health and policies around health equity completely aligned with the mission of Sanitas. Sanitas is a social enterprise with a vision of Health Equity for All. The Firefly/CUNY accelerator was more than the typical 8-12 weeks of programming culminating with a demo day. The Firefly/CUNY programming was unique and led by healthcare professionals with a shared moral imagination. There was a demo day at the conclusion and Sanitas was one of the three winners of the demo day competition. We've been riding high ever since we started the program. While in the program we closed several large customers and started one new paid pilot. We can't say enough about how much we gained from Firefly/CUNY.”

— Rodney Bell | Co-founder & CEO

Sanarai is an online platform that connects the Latinx community to mental health professionals in Latin America to provide culturally sensitive, Spanish-language emotional support at accessible prices.

“During the accelerator, we've benefited from its healthcare-specific focus, receiving tailored support and industry-specific expertise to effectively address our challenges. The program's strong connections in the NYC ecosystem have also provided valuable opportunities for potential collaborations and partnerships within the local healthcare community, enhancing our visibility and access to key stakeholders in the region.”

— Luis Suarez | Founder & CEO

RE-Assist is a digital platform that empowers more efficient transfer of care admission.

“Through the CUNY accelerator we have been able to analyze healthcare and the future thereof from a public health standpoint. We have taken a closer look at our approach and how we can make care coordination easily and less burdensome on patients and hospitals. RE-Assist is excited to work with CUNY Public Health Accelerator and Firefly on a long-term basis to help improve the transfer of care in healthcare. This partnership will help give us the tools and resources necessary to create a process that will be scalable across the continuum of care. Since graduating from the accelerator, we have partnered with Harvard blackbox Lab to support the development and validation of the RE-Assist platform through research. We are looking for innovative hospitals who would like to pilot with us to simplify their transfer of care model and comply with rules from CMS. During the pilot of the RE-Assist digital platform, the blackbox Lab will study the features of the SaaS tool to understand its effectiveness and impact on equity in transfer of care from hospital to post-acute care. We believe with the help and support from CUNY and Harvard we can make a major impact on the referral management marketplace.”

— Ashley Barrow | Founder & CEO

Medsembly is an employee engagement, learning, and wellness tool helping healthcare companies stay connected to their team, improve company culture, and work performance, while offering career support and guidance to current and future healthcare workers.

“The Firefly/CUNY SPH Accelerator was one of the most rewarding experiences in my startup journey. I enjoyed the interactive expert-led discussions that helped us learn key aspects of building a public-health mission driven company. One of my favorite parts about the accelerator was the mentor groups. We were paired with a group of mentors and met with them weekly. I appreciate the constructive feedback, insights, and most of all, the endless motivation my mentors provided. Firefly/CUNY SPH is dedicated to nurturing the growth of early-stage companies and I look forward to continuing our work together and having the support of such tremendous organizations.”

— Rodeline Joseph | Founder & CEO

Human Edge is an enterprise tech company focusing on optimizing the health and wellbeing of the global workforce to help them achieve peak performance.

“We were delighted to participate in the CUNY SPH Accelerator, operated by Firefly Innovations. The exposure to the US public health environment, and opportunity to start building a network within this stakeholder community, will be of tremendous value in the years to come.”

— Dr. Marcus Ranney | Founder & CEO 

Speetar Health is a telehealth platform that provides accessible, affordable quality healthcare in adverse conditions and creates centralized health data to protect increasingly mobile populations.

“I had the good fortune of meeting the accelerator’s managing director W. Michael Short at a summit hosted by MIT and he encouraged us to apply. It was clear right from the start that we made the right decision. It was a rewarding experience and we look forward to building on our collaboration with Firefly Innovations in the years to come.”

— Emi Mahmoud | Senior Growth Manager

Firefly Innovations and KPMG Featured for Public Health Impact

“How our government can work with the private sector to create innovative public health solutions.”

NEW YORK (DECEMBER 6, 2023) — “Listen to our discussion on incorporating an entrepreneurial mentality into public health solutions with Dr. Terry Huang, Founder of Firefly Innovations, Dr. Todd Ellis, Principal at KPMG and W. Michael Short, Managing Director of Firefly Innovations.”

KPMG-Sponsored Public Health Accelerator Concludes Record Setting Year with Announcement of Expansion Plans and Pitch Competition Winners

NEW YORK (AUGUST 21, 2023) – Firefly Innovations, the premier entrepreneurship platform of the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (“CUNY SPH”), recently announced the successful completion of the fourth annual CUNY Public Health Innovation Accelerator (the “Accelerator”). 

The KPMG-sponsored Accelerator, which provides pro-bono programmatic and consulting support services valued at over $20,000 to each participating venture, is a signature program of Firefly Innovations and the most comprehensive program of its kind in the U.S. helping entrepreneurs scale early-stage prototypes into sustainable businesses with significant public health impact.

The eight-week Accelerator operated during June and July and concluded with a pitch competition that was open to the public and provided participating ventures an opportunity to present their innovative public health solutions to a record audience of over 100 prospective partners, investors, customers, and stakeholders.

“It's so motivating to see this commitment to tackling the challenges around health equity in this moment when we know that the historical and systemic impacts of inequity continue to be a threat to the goals and aspirations that we seek as a society,” said KPMG Managing Director Meghan Hendery. “At KPMG, we are equally focused on meeting the challenge of this moment and we believe deeply that innovation and passion are the keys to tackling the significant challenges ahead.”

In addition to announcing the winners of the pitch competition, all eight ventures participating in the Accelerator were also recognized by Firefly Innovations for their significant community impact and ongoing leadership and contributions in the field of public health.

“It’s clear that our founder Dr. Terry Huang’s inspiring vision of transforming the public health sector through entrepreneurship is coming to life with incredible and growing momentum,” said Firefly Innovations Managing Director W. Michael Short. “With record-setting demand for our program, and the cascading crisis of public health challenges that we face nationally and globally, planning is currently underway to scale our program into what will be the largest public health venture accelerator of its kind in the world.”


2023 Pitch Competition Winners:

Watch 2023 Showcase:

2023 Accelerator Participants:

Oatmeal Health is an AI-enabled Cancer Screening as a Service for under-represented patients of FQHCs and Health Plans.

"Winning the pitch competition showcase and participating in the CUNY Public Health Innovation Accelerator was a great experience. The accelerator is very different from many of the other programs that I have been a part of in the past. The goal of Firefly Innovations and CUNY SPH is not just education, but providing true connections to corporate partners, philanthropist groups, health plans, healthcare providers, and traditional venture capital all with one common goal to help support and accelerate public health initiatives like the tech-enabled cancer screenings that Oatmeal Health provides to underserved patient populations.” 

— Jonathan Govette | Co-founder and COO

Tiny Docs supports healthcare partners to improve kids’ health outcomes and save providers time through its educational and entertaining animated content.

"The accelerator provided the mentorship, education, and fellowship we needed to take our business to the next level. Beyond that, it helped me to become a better entrepreneur and leader. I am excited about continuing the partnership with Firefly Innovations and the great things that we will accomplish together to advance public health in the future."

— Sunny Williams | Founder and CEO

Sanitas Health is a psychology-based language analysis platform for understanding human emotions, personalities, motivations, and psychology from everyday language.

“The CUNY accelerator was tremendously helpful. The mentors and the focus on Public Health and policies around health equity completely aligned with the mission of Sanitas. Sanitas is a social enterprise with a vision of Health Equity for All. The Firefly/CUNY accelerator was more than the typical 8-12 weeks of programming culminating with a demo day. The Firefly/CUNY programming was unique and led by healthcare professionals with a shared moral imagination. There was a demo day at the conclusion and Sanitas was one of the three winners of the demo day competition. We've been riding high ever since we started the program. While in the program we closed several large customers and started one new paid pilot. We can't say enough about how much we gained from Firefly/CUNY.”

— Rodney Bell | Co-founder and CEO

Sanarai is an online platform that connects the Latinx community to mental health professionals in Latin America to provide culturally sensitive, Spanish-language emotional support at accessible prices.

“During the accelerator, we've benefited from its healthcare-specific focus, receiving tailored support and industry-specific expertise to effectively address our challenges. The program's strong connections in the NYC ecosystem have also provided valuable opportunities for potential collaborations and partnerships within the local healthcare community, enhancing our visibility and access to key stakeholders in the region.”

— Luis Suarez | Founder and CEO

RE-Assist is a digital platform that empowers more efficient transfer of care admission.

“Through the CUNY accelerator we have been able to analyze healthcare and the future thereof from a public health standpoint. We have taken a closer look at our approach and how we can make care coordination easily and less burdensome on patients and hospitals. RE-Assist is excited to work with CUNY Public Health Accelerator and Firefly on a long term basis to help improve the transfer of care in healthcare. This partnership will help give us the  tools and resources necessary to create a process that will be scalable across the continuum of care. Since graduating from the accelerator we have partnered with Harvard blackbox Lab to support the development and validation of the RE-Assist platform through research. We are looking for innovative hospitals who would like to pilot with us to simplify their transfer of care model and comply with rules from CMS. During the pilot of the RE-Assist digital platform, the blackbox Lab will study the features of the SaaS tool to understand its effectiveness and impact on equity in transfer of care from hospital to post-acute care. We believe with the help and support from CUNY and Harvard we can make a major impact on the referral management marketplace.”

— Ashley Barrow | CEO and Founder

Medsembly is an employee engagement, learning, and wellness tool that helps healthcare companies stay connected to their team, improve company culture, and work performance, while offering career support and guidance to current and future healthcare workers.

“The Firefly/CUNY SPH Accelerator was one of the most rewarding experiences in my startup journey. I enjoyed the interactive expert-led discussions that helped us learn key aspects of building a public-health mission driven company. One of my favorite parts about the accelerator was the mentor groups. We were paired with a group of mentors and met with them weekly. I appreciate the constructive feedback, insights, and most of all, the endless motivation my mentors provided. Firefly/CUNY SPH is dedicated to nurturing the growth of early-stage companies and I look forward to continuing our work together and having the support of such tremendous organizations.”

— Rodeline Joseph | Founder and CEO

Human Edge is an enterprise tech company focusing on optimizing the health and wellbeing of the global workforce to help them achieve peak performance.

“Human Edge was delighted to participate in this CUNY SPH Accelerator program, operated by Firefly Innovations. The exposure to the US public health environment, and opportunity to start building a network within this stakeholder community, will be of tremendous value in the years to come.”

— Dr. Marcus Ranney | Founder and CEO 

Speetar Health is a telehealth platform that provides accessible, affordable quality healthcare in adverse conditions and creates centralized health data to protect increasingly mobile populations.

“I had the good fortune of meeting the accelerator’s managing director W. Michael Short at a summit hosted by MIT and he encouraged us to apply. It was clear right from the start that I made the right decision. It was an incredibly rewarding experience and we look forward to building on our collaboration in the future.”

— Emi Mahmoud | Senior Growth Manager

Firefly Innovations Founder Named Distinguished Professor by CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy

Excerpt via CUNY SPH Press Release:

NEW YORK (AUGUST 14, 2023) — CUNY SPH is delighted to announce that, effective July 1, Professors Renee Goodwin and Terry Huang have been elevated to the rank of distinguished professor. Both appointments were approved by the CUNY Board of Trustees at its meeting on June 26, bringing to five the number of distinguished professors serving CUNY SPH.

CUNY bestows the title of distinguished professor on faculty who have built international reputations as leaders within their fields and have been consistent producers of innovative and influential research. Professors Goodwin and Huang are both leading scholars in their fields of psychiatric and substance abuse epidemiology and chronic disease prevention, respectively.

Professor Terry Huang is internationally recognized for finding innovative approaches to chronic disease prevention and the improvement of community health. He has received more than $16 million in research grant funding as principal investigator since joining CUNY SPH in 2014. He is also the author of more than 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and editorials.

As the director of the Center for Systems and Community Design, Professor Huang has been collaborating with NYC Parks to evaluate the impact of the Community Parks Initiative, a $318 million park equity investment that has led to the redesign and renovation of more than 60 parks in New York City. He recently received another large grant from the NIH for a related project that leverages the park improvements in developing strategies to enhance neighborhood vibrancy and wellbeing.

Professor Huang is the founder of Firefly Innovations at CUNY SPH, a unique public health entrepreneurship platform for health equity startups. Since launching in early 2020, Firefly Innovations has successfully accelerated more than 50 early-stage venture companies mostly led by women and diverse founders. He is currently chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at CUNY SPH.

“We are very proud the university has bestowed this special honor on two of our senior faculty and we thank the Board of Trustees for supporting the school’s nominations,” says CUNY SPH Dean Ayman El-Mohandes. “We know to expect even more significant accomplishments from them as they embark upon the next chapter of their careers.”

Professors Goodwin and Huang join an eminent group of distinguished professors at CUNY SPH including Professors Luisa N. Borrell, Nicholas Freudenberg and Denis Nash.

Click here for a link to the full press release from CUNY SPH.

Record-Setting Year for KPMG-sponsored City University of New York Public Health Innovation Accelerator

NEW YORK, July 1, 2023 — Firefly Innovations, the premiere entrepreneurship platform of the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (“CUNY SPH”), recently announced the eight public health ventures selected to participate in the 2023 cohort of the annual CUNY Public Health Innovation Accelerator (the “Accelerator”).

Firefly Innovations also announced that KPMG is serving as a sponsor of the 2023 Accelerator and the Accelerator Showcase, which is scheduled for July 20 from 12 PM - 2 PM ET and is open to the public.

“We’re honored to be building a long-term partnership with our brilliant colleagues at KPMG in order to further accelerate the growth and impact of our programming and the public health ventures we’re supporting throughout the world,” said W. Michael Short, Managing Director of Firefly Innovations and Senior Director at the Center for Systems and Community Design at CUNY SPH.

Founded in 2020 by Dr. Terry Huang, Chair of the Heath Policy and Management Department at CUNY SPH, the Accelerator is a program of Firefly Innovations designed to help entrepreneurs harness the tools and resources necessary to create and implement robust, scalable, and equitable public health solutions.

Ventures are immersed in a unique global community of peers, mentors and industry experts through weekly workshops, presentations, consultations, one-on-one support, and a signature showcase event. Firefly Innovations contracted with an independent organization, coLab, to help implement the 2023 Accelerator.

The eight ventures participating in the 2023 Accelerator cohort were selected from the largest and most competitive pool of applicants in the program’s four year history — 173 individual accelerator applicants from 24 countries.

“This is a record-setting year for our CUNY Public Health Innovation Accelerator,” said Mr. Short. “Applicants to our 2023 accelerator are among the most promising and inspiring public health entrepreneurs and ventures in the world we’re working hard to significantly expand our programming in order to support more ventures. Planning is currently underway with partners to make our program the largest and most comprehensive public health venture accelerator of its kind in the world.”

Click here to learn more about the 2023 CUNY Public Health Innovation Accelerator.

Most Competitive Applicant Pool in Accelerator History

Record number of applicaNTS

  • +128% venture applicants (114)**

  • +127% individual applicants (173)**

Most geographically diverse applicantS in program history

  • +167% applicant countries (24)**

  • +92% applicant states (25)**

  • +108% applicant cities (100)**

applicants Have raised the most capital in program history

  • Raised $1 million on average

  • +233% average funds raised**

applicants have the highest valuations in program history

  • Average valuation is over $8 million

  • +10% venture valuations**

applicants raising The Most capital in program history

  • Raising $1.2 million on average

  • 172% increase in size of capital raise**

**2023 Applicants vs. 2022 Applicants

Introducing the 2023 CUNY Public Health Innovation Accelerator Cohort

Ventures participating in the Accelerator are building tech-enabled solutions to advance equity across many areas of healthcare.

Participating ventures are addressing varying issues from health literacy to oncology and mental health. Service areas covered include telehealth, patient care coordination, health worker career development, and health education.

Each startup has demonstrated significant traction with their solution and the communities they serve.

  • Oatmeal Health is an AI-enabled, Cancer Screening as a Service for under-represented patients of FQHCs and Health Plans.

  • Speetar Health is a telehealth platform that provides accessible, affordable quality healthcare in adverse conditions and creates centralized health data to protect increasingly mobile populations.

  • Sanarai is an online platform that connects the Latinx community to mental health professionals in Latin America to provide culturally sensitive, Spanish-language emotional support at accessible prices.

  • RE-Assist is a digital platform that empowers more efficient transfer of care admission.

  • Sanitas Health is a psychology-based language analysis platform for understanding human emotions, personalities, motivations, and psychology from everyday language.

  • Tiny Docs supports healthcare partners to improve kids’ health outcomes and save providers time through its educational and entertaining animated content.

  • Medsembly is an employee engagement, learning, and wellness tool that helps healthcare companies stay connected to their team, improve company culture, and work performance, while offering career support and guidance to current and future healthcare workers.

  • Human Edge is an enterprise tech company focusing on optimizing the health and wellbeing of the global workforce to help them achieve peak performance.

Meet the 2023 Firefly Changemakers

2023 Accelerator Participants

Firefly Innovations Featured by 2023 City Health Magazine

Excerpt from City Health magazine, which highlights the cutting-edge research underway at CUNY SPH and features the community-focused health equity and social justice work.

Firefly Innovations: Transforming public health through entrepreneurship

NEW YORK, May 25, 2023 — Traditionally, the worlds of public health and entrepreneurship don’t significantly overlap, but Professor Terry Huang has set out to change that through a bold initiative called Firefly Innovations. The platform, a marriage of public health expertise and the entrepreneurial mindset, is based at CUNY SPH and extends outward to a growing network across the globe.

The entrepreneurial mindset is about leadership, bold ideas and a willingness to take risks. TED Talk star Brené Brown, in her recent film on the theme of “courage,” quotes President Theodore Roosevelt, who said that courage, a key component of risk-taking, means “daring greatly.” And that in turn means allowing yourself to fail.

Huang agrees. Embracing the challenge of innovation means failing often and rapidly, learning from our failures and finding our way to solutions that work.

It all started in 2019, when Huang and Alessandro Ciari, a CUNY SPH student at the time, met serendipitously one evening off-campus. Ciari introduced himself and mentioned that he had worked on a waste management startup prior to doing his MPH degree. Huang was pleasantly surprised that an MPH student had entrepreneurial experience and proceeded to describe his own vision of creating an entrepreneurship program at the school. He invited Ciari to sit down with him to sketch out what such an initiative would look like.

During several conversations, the two men found common ground. Tackling today’s complex and seemingly intractable problems in public health, they agreed, would require an all-hands-on-deck approach that engages the public, nonprofit and private sectors, as well as people with lived experience in affected communities. These latter innovators, Huang says, often become some of the most passionate, effective entrepreneurs of all.

What is Firefly Innovations?

DR. TERRY HUANG, Department Chair of Health Policy & Management and Founder of the Center for Systems & Community Design and Firefly Innovation

The goal of Firefly Innovations is to “identify, cultivate and accelerate impact-driven public health ventures.” Instead of the top-down approach that is often integral to the public health paradigm, Huang advocates a bottom-up strategy that places patients and others with lived experience at the center of the process.

Huang named the platform “Firefly” because the tiny creature’s many diverse species echo the diversity of the startup founders the organization serves. As well, the firefly is universally recognized as a symbol of light, hope and inspiration.

Firefly Innovations, a unique public health entrepreneurship platform housed within CUNY SPH, offers courses, trainings, fellowships and a Summer Accelerator, which Huang describes as “an intensive eight-week session during which we work with competitively selected public health startups.” The idea is to prepare them to access the market and scale up their ventures for maximum impact. After participating in the accelerator, many ventures have gone on to successfully secure new business, contracts, funding, partnerships and team members.

Launched officially in 2020, Firefly Innovations has a strong focus on solutions that advance health equity. It has been particularly successful at drawing in women and minority startup founders. Of the roughly 50 ventures that have been actively supported or accelerated, over 90% have at least one minority founder and half are women-led.

Ciari served as a program manager and later as an assistant director for the platform until early 2023, when he joined a private company, called coLab, that consults for venture funds and helps accelerate innovative solutions for corporations. This year, Firefly Innovations contracted with coLab to assist in operating the 4th annual CUNY Public Health Innovation Accelerator, centered on the theme of health equity.

The professional connector

W. MICHAEL SHORT, Managing Director of Firefly Innovations and Senior Director at the Center for Systems & Community Design

With growing momentum, and with a focus on scaling Firefly’s impact and ensuring the platform’s long-term sustainability, Huang recruited entrepreneur W. Michael Short to serve in the newly created position of Managing Director. Huang and Short met in late 2022 while serving as judges of a pitch competition at the New York Artificial Intelligence Summit and Short started his new role with CUNY SPH in January of this year. With a background in economic development, community engagement, and scaling organizations and ventures, Short brings a lot to the table, Huang says, including a holistic view of creating lasting change.

“He’s the one able to make connections and put together all the disparate pieces of a public health venture to optimal effect,” says Huang.

“Terry and I share a firm belief in the entrepreneurial ingenuity of the American people and by supporting community entrepreneurs with bold ideas, market-based solutions, and unwavering determination, we can solve the cascading crisis of public health challenges that we face,” said Short. “Entrepreneurship has the power to revolutionize public health by driving innovation and fostering collaboration in order to create a healthier and more resilient nation and world.”

Short sees connections and opportunities wherever he looks. For example, the software used by a dating service turned out to be just the ticket for a new app that matches startups with funding opportunities. Accustomed to thinking big, he’s always on the lookout for linkages and interdependencies between public health and other sectors that might at first seem unrelated but are connected at a deeper level.

In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, Short’s new role with CUNY SPH builds on his existing work with CUNY at Medgar Evers College School of Business where he served as Managing Director of the International innovators Initiative, which was a joint initiative of CUNY, the City of New York, and NYC Economic Development Corporation that focused on recruiting the most promising entrepreneurs throughout the world to relocate to NYC and to work with CUNY campuses.

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CUNY SPH ranks among top 10% of public health schools nationwide

Excerpt from CUNY SPH Press Release:

NEW YORK, April 25, 2023 - In the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings published Tuesday, CUNY SPH stands at number 15 out of 202 ranked schools and programs of public health nationwide and number 17 in health policy.

This ranking, the highest CUNY SPH has attained in its short history, maintains the school’s position as the leading public school of public health in the tri-state (NY, NJ, CT) area, a position it has held for three years. CUNY SPH currently ranks sixth out of 129 public schools and programs of public health in the U.S.

The rankings are based on votes cast by the academic leaders of all public health schools and programs around the country. Respondents rate the academic quality of the programs on a scale of 1 (marginal) to 5 (outstanding).

“We thank our peers for the trust they have put in our school and are humbled by their confidence in us,” says Dean Ayman El-Mohandes. “We would also like to thank CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez for his vision and the support he has provided CUNY SPH over the years. We are truly proud of this achievement, a direct reflection of the critical role that our faculty, students and alumni play in partnering with government, policymakers, communities, health care providers and others to help address the pressing public health issues of our time.“

CUNY SPH has made great strides in the short time since its foundation in 2016. Our graduation rates remain amongst the highest at 83%, and 98% of graduates are employed in the field or seeking the next level of graduate education within 12 months. Over the past seven years we have doubled our student numbers, maintained a low student to faculty ratio of 10 to 1, and increased our research productivity more than fivefold. We have also maintained our commitment to diversity, access and quality, and to serving our community partners in New York City, New York State, across the nation and globally.

“The latest U.S. News rankings affirm the continuing rise of CUNY SPH as one of the nation’s best and most innovative schools of public health and one of CUNY’s most impactful professional schools,” says Chancellor Matos Rodríguez. “In just a few years, it has become a leader in public health education, research and advocacy. Its students, faculty and graduates help make New York City and the world healthier and advance CUNY’s mission of increasing educational and career opportunities for people of all backgrounds. I congratulate Dean El-Mohandes and the entire CUNY SPH community for their continuing excellence and commitment to the public good.”

Our Mission: CUNY SPH is committed to promoting and sustaining healthier populations in New York City and around the world through excellence in education, research and service in public health and by advocating for sound policy and practice to advance social justice and improve health outcomes for all.

2023 scholars selected to participate in the Michael Meng Fellowship in Healthcare Business Innovation

NEW YORK, March 17, 2023 - The CUNY SPH Foundation is pleased to announce the first cohort of scholars selected to participate in the Michael Meng Fellowship in Healthcare Business Innovation. 

This groundbreaking fellowship will prepare CUNY SPH students with business and entrepreneurial skills at the intersection of health business and public health. Ten Michael Meng fellows will embark on an intensive four-semester extra-curricular program with the goal of making a meaningful contribution to public health by leveraging essential business skills. 

Bunny Ellerin, co-founder and CEO of Digital Health New York, will lead the initiative as a visiting professor, offering her expertise and mentorship as a respected business health executive.

Professor Terry Huang, a globally-renowned expert in public health entrepreneurship and founder of Firefly Innovations, a global ecosystem of public health business owners, experts and investors, will provide guidance and support.

Click on a fellow to learn more about them:

Neville Green

Kosisochukwu Okonkwo

Anthony W. Okolo

Sabah Hashmi

Gwendolynne D. Beaussejour

Juliana Kayi Musonda

Sara Simon

Antoinette Wearing

 

Fazel Powell

Wilson Jacobs

 

Groundbreaking fellowship will build key inroads between health business and public health communities

Excerpt from CUNY SPH Foundation Press Release:

Bold career accelerator will create new educational programming around health in business innovation and public health entrepreneurship

NEW YORK, October 19, 2022 - CUNY SPH Foundation Board Member Michael Meng committed $150,000 to establish the Michael Meng Fellowship in Healthcare Business Innovation (“Fellowship”), which will prepare CUNY SPH students with transformational business and entrepreneurial skills at the intersection of health business and public health sectors, two crucial communities driving forward health in New York City.

Michael Meng, CUNY SPH Foundation Board Member

The Fellowship will enroll ten Health Policy and Management students into an intensive four-semester extra-curricular program to build their expertise and knowledge in health business. Fellows will learn directly from respected business executives and leaders, receive premier access to professional development at the Career Skills Academy and experience hands-on training in public health entrepreneurship at Firefly Innovations, a global ecosystem of public health entrepreneurs, experts, and investors.

“The Michael Meng Fellowship is a bold initiative that elevates our goal of driving equity in public health care,” said Dr. Ayman El-Mohandes, Dean of CUNY SPH. “By preparing the next generation of public health professionals with critical business and entrepreneurial skills, the Fellowship will fuel innovation and public health access in our great city.”

“As a Foundation Board Member, I have seen first-hand the tremendous potential of CUNY SPH students in achieving excellence and delivering public health solutions with empathy and understanding,” Meng said. “That is why I am very excited to equip them with real-life business tools and confidence to change the future of public health for the better.”

Students will receive mentorship and career guidance, and learn directly from respected health business executive Bunny Ellerin, co-founder and CEO of NYC Health Business Leaders, as a Visiting Professor. This ambitious program will receive guidance and support from Professor Terry Huang, a globally renowned expert in public health entrepreneurship who launched Firefly Innovations in 2019.

“One of the most important elements of this program is exposing our students to the kinds of career paths that are possible with an MPH, making them believe they can build a future in an area that they had never thought of before,” said Professor Huang. “With incoming cohorts, this Fellowship will also be an opportunity to attract and recruit top talent from around the country.”

Operationalizing Health Business Education

The Fellowship will prepare students to apply their public health education in the health business environment and to increase their knowledge of health business and its relationship to public health. Topics which will transcend traditional public health education and include hands-on opportunities for students to learn directly from business executives and leaders.

“When the school reached out to me, I knew I wanted to be part of this,” said Ms. Ellerin. “I am doing this because I believe strongly in using public health as a springboard to bring new people into the business of healthcare. This program will expose students to real life opportunities in the ways they can use their training and education to bridge the gap into business.”

“In five years, the CUNY SPH Foundation has made our preeminent graduate education more affordable and attainable to deserving students,” said Adam M. Doyno, Executive Director of CUNY SPH Foundation. “With this Fellowship so generously funded and profoundly envisioned by Michael Meng, their ambitions and their impact can soar.” 

About Michael Meng

Michael Meng is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Stellar Health. Michael has invested in healthcare companies for the past decade and has years of experience working in the field. Prior to Stellar Health, Michael was a Principal at Apax Partners, a large-cap global private equity firm where he deployed $3 billion of capital. He has served on the board of companies including Vyaire Medical, Medicomp, One Call Care Management, and TriZetto. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the CUNY School of Public Health Foundation as Treasurer, as a member of the Foundation’s Executive Committee, and as a Board Member of the Global Language Project. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and his MBA from Wharton.

About CUNY SPH

The CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) is committed to teaching, research, and service that creates a healthier New York City and helps promote equitable, efficient, and evidence-based solutions to pressing health problems facing cities around the world. Located in Harlem, CUNY SPH is the top-ranked public school of public health in New York City, New York State, and the tristate region.

About CUNY SPH Foundation

The CUNY SPH Foundation’s mission is to advance the achievement of CUNY SPH’s mission, vision, and values as New York City’s public school of public health through fundraising, building strategic partnerships and providing services as a champion for the school’s students as they embark on public health careers and its faculty as they work to educate the next generation of public health professionals. 

Bringing Innovative Entrepreneurship into Public Health with Firefly Innovations Founder Dr. Terry Huang

Making Public Health Personal is a podcast brought to you by CUNY SPH. Each episode focuses on an aspect of health and social justice that affects our daily lives. Learn from CUNY SPH’s expert faculty, researchers, alumni and students on how public health policy, advocacy and practices can benefit our ever-evolving community, and our world. You don’t have to work in healthcare or have a PhD to understand these topics. We break them down for you and give you practical tips to make a difference, big or small.

NEW YORK, October 19, 2022 - How can we transform public health into an innovative, forward-thinking community of change agents willing to act quickly to meet the challenges and public health crises in our world? The Health Policy and Management curriculum at CUNY SPH has been preparing public health professionals to become innovation-driven leaders willing to challenge the status quo.

Today’s guest on the Making Public Health Personal podcast is Dr. Terry Huang, Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at CUNY SPH. He is also Director of the Center for Systems and Community Design at CUNY SPH, and developed a public health entrepreneurship platform called Firefly Innovations. Dr. Huang speaks with host Laura Meoli-Ferrigon about how his interdisciplinary background inspired a hands-on curriculum which develops leadership skills in our students so they can become innovative, forward-thinking leaders in public health. Dr. Huang discusses why the entrepreneurial mindset is more important than ever, and how to use it to transform organizations, communities, and society at large.

Whether you’re interested in entrepreneurship and starting your own business, or becoming an intrapreneur who brings these important skills into your organization, the Health Policy and Management curriculum at CUNY SPH can give you the tools you need to become a leader in public health. Learn more about the degrees offered in the Department of Health Policy and Management.

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