Team Rx Participate wins 2024 Business Plan Competition

Team Rx Participate: Saphia Mourad, Cynthia Nohra, Lama Alomrani, and Maneli Jafar-Pisheh. (Photo by Omar Barbir)

A team of students in the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy have won the top prize in the 2024 Business Plan Competition for their idea to develop a software platform that uses patient data to match individuals with relevant clinical trials. Saphia Mourad, Cynthia Nohra, Lama Alomrani, and Maneli Jafar-Pishe, collectively known as Team Rx Participate, won the $5000 prize at the annual Business Plan Competition finale on March 26.

Six teams presented their innovative solutions at the finale event of the annual competition. The pitches were judged by Zubin Austin, professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, Emily Musing, former leader-in-residence at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and chief patient safety officer at the University Health Network, and Jamie Stiff, managing director of Genesys Capital.

During the event, Alomrani, Nohra, and Jafar-Pisheh, pitched their management software, Rx Participate, an all-in-one solution that empowers researchers to efficiently manage trials and drive the testing of novel medical interventions.

“We were driven by the opportunity to bridge the gap between research and patient needs, making healthcare more inclusive and effective for everyone.”

“As future pharmacists, we recognized our unique position as one of the most accessible healthcare providers in Canada and this motivated us to address recruitment challenges in clinical trials to ensure all patients have the opportunity to participate and benefit from novel treatments,” says Nohra. “We were driven by the opportunity to bridge the gap between research and patient needs, making healthcare more inclusive and effective for everyone.”

The future of Rx Participate is clear: to empower pharmacists to take a proactive role in patient care. “Our vision is to see Rx Participate recognized as an indispensable tool, contributing to a future where every patient has access to the latest advancements in medical research, regardless of their location or background,” says Alomrani.

With a focused vision, the team aims to allocate a portion of the prize money towards further software development.

“Winning the business plan competition was incredibly thrilling, validating all our hard work and innovative ideas,” says Jafar-Pisheh. “We're excited to use the prize winnings to further develop Rx Participate, ensuring it becomes an indispensable tool for expediting research recruitment in the pharmaceutical field.”

Looking ahead to next year, the competition will continues to support student-led teams dedicated to enhancing patient care and developing new solutions to benefit the broader healthcare system.

“The competition enables students to envision, generate and convey innovative ideas in collaboration with their peers, colleagues and mentors – all with the goal of proposing solutions that improve the quality of care across our pharmacy landscape.”

The competition is led by the Centre for Practice Excellence, in partnership with the Office of Experiential Education. “The competition enables students to envision, generate and convey innovative ideas in collaboration with their peers, colleagues and mentors – all with the goal of proposing solutions that improve the quality of care across our pharmacy landscape,” says Austin, who is also director of the Centre for Practice Excellence. “By bridging different modalities of learning across the PharmD program, this experience encourages students to adopt "out-of-the-box" thinking and complementary skill sets.” that they can take beyond the PharmD program and into their future careers.

Having gained invaluable insights, the team behind Rx Participate is moving closer to a future where more patients can readily access clinical trials and the potential to benefit from novel treatments.

“We got the opportunity to not only expand our knowledge and skills in business but also open doors to new opportunities and interests along the way,” says Mourad. “Our success in this competition inspires us to keep pushing boundaries and innovating in the healthcare sector.”

“We’re excited to see where this project takes us in the future!”

Second place: BioVial (Shanygne Hassan, Stefanie Caramanna, Numra Shah, Margie Chung)

Revolutionizing the pharmaceutical packaging industry by offering sustainable solutions for medication storage.

Third place: BabyPresso (Jacky Boutthiphon, Alina Haque, Tamara Jacobs, Jessica Amiana)

Baby formula dispenser utilizing formula pod technology, precise dosing, advanced temperature control, and one-touch operation for convenient, safe, and nourishing formula preparation.