Cogniss returns to Westmead for the 7th Global Harvard Health Systems Hackathon
Cogniss proudly supported the Westmead Health Precinct for the second year as the Australian host of the 7th annual Harvard Health Systems Innovation Hackathon on 10–11 April, mentoring teams and providing the platform for them to build real, functioning digital health apps that brought their solution ideas to life.
Hosted at the Westmead Innovation Centre, this year's edition welcomed 237 participants from across health, computer science, design, engineering, law, economics, and the social sciences. Around half registered as individuals, forming new teams on the day to take on the 48-hour challenge themed "Building High-Value Health Systems: Leveraging AI". The Australian Hub also opened with a live Zoom welcome to participating hubs across the Asia Pacific including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the National Taiwan University.
Cogniss mentors Ryan Miller (Head of Customer Success) and Vivian Zhang (Customer Success Manager) supported teams throughout the two days, working alongside fellow mentors and judges from Harvard Medical School, the University of Sydney, UNSW, the Children's Medical Research Institute, NSW Health, and Western Sydney Local Health District.
"It was such a great experience mentoring at the 7th Harvard Health Systems Innovation Lab Hackathon," said Vivian, reflecting on her first year mentoring at the event. "The intersection of AI and health systems is fertile ground right now, and the ideas from this cohort reflected that."
The Cogniss team's combined expertise in commercialisation, digital product strategy and UX design helped teams sharpen their pitches and consider the long-term impact of their ideas, particularly through the lens of what makes health innovations sustainable and scalable in real-world settings.
This year's event was part of a wider global hackathon spanning 5 continents, 18 countries and 19 hubs, drawing more than 14,000 applications from 30+ institutions worldwide. The winning teams from the Sydney Hub will now advance to the Harvard Health Systems Innovation Lab's 8-week Venture Building Program, culminating in a global Demo Day on June 19, 2026, where teams pitch directly to investors.
As Westmead continues to grow its role as one of Australia's largest health and research precincts, the success of this hackathon highlights the region's rising influence in health innovation, and Cogniss is proud to continue to be part of that journey.