The design projects have been developed to draw upon the interests and experiences of the enrolled students. The composite of the class is exceptionally diverse and includes those with backgrounds in engineering, clinical medicine, health policy, business, education, and government. Thus we have provided several "tracks" for the group design projects to provide a choice for each groups needs, wants, and general interests. Please select two of the four tracks to complete.

Students' proposed solutions will draw upon their understanding of tools and principles acquired during the course and will be presented as an application design on the final day of the course. Opportunities to interact with corporate sponsors will enhance the emphasis on practical solutions to real world problems. Sponsored driven projects in past years have included those from Pfizer Health Solutions, Merck, Johnson and Johnson, Mass General, and Warner Lambert. (Note: A special project will be organized and supported by the faculty this year to help students identify ways to support efforts to combat bio-terrorism through improved uses of clinical and bioinformatic systems.)

Common Elements for Each Project

1. Objective of the group project; proposed product or service solution
2. Industry summary (the name of the analyzed industry)
3. Competitive analysis; Porter Model; evaluation of macro-industry forces; barriers to entry
4. Micro-stakeholder analysis: including representative competitive strategies within the Industry
5. Universal problems with current Solutions
6. Interaction diagrams existing - new proposed solution - "A day in the life" scenario
7. Reflection on cost, quality, and access
    

Track 1: Marketing Plan

Additional Elements Required

Market Analysis

1. Market Background
2. Future Directions of Market
3. Market Size/Forecast
4. Customers/Customer Segmentation
5. Target Market Segments
6. Pricing
7. Promotion
8. Product Positioning
9. Sales Strategy

Recommended Readings

12 Simple Steps to a Winning Marketing Plan. Chicago: Probus Publishing, 1992 LARKIN.

Track 2: Business Plan

Additional Elements Required

1. Partnering
2. Staffing Plans
3. Advisory Board
4. Risk Management (analysis of specific risks and address various scenarios)
5. Financial Projections and Resources Required
6. Near Term Milestones and Expenses
7. Long Term Projections

Recommended Readings

Anatomy of a Business Plan. Out of Mind and Into the Marketplace. California: 1987, PINSON.

Track 3: Product Design

Additional Elements Required

The Product

1. Product Definition and Goals
2. Product Requirements/Specifications
3. Expected Product Lifecycle
4. Product Add-ons, Third Party Tool Sets
5. Follow-on Products

User Profile (Differentiate from buyer)

1. Job Description
2. User Skills, Knowledge and Education
3. Work Style
4. Concerns
5. Wants
6. Requirements
7. Work Environment

Recommended Readings

Product Development Planning for Health Care Products Regulated by the FDA. Milwaukee: ASQC Quality Press, 1997. Whitmore.

Track 4: Study Schema or Information Lexicon

The Information Lexicon

1. Rationale
2. Objectives
3. Study Design
4. Participants
5. Intervention
6. Primary and Secondary Endpoints
7. Sample Size (optional)
8. Anticipate Time Frame for Study Completion
9. Data collection; Sub-Protocols, Intervals, Encounters, Events
10. Analysis

GROUP PRESENTATION TIME (min.) A. Common Elements Clarity of Project Problem and Purpose 2 minutes Ability to Present Key Stakeholders and Strategic Positioning 4 minutes Discussion of Porter Model and Industry Summary 4 minutes Interaction Diagrams and Day in the Life Scenario 4 minutes Convincing Role Impacting Cost, Quality, Access 4 minutes B. Tracks Statement of Tracks Chosen and Why 2 minutes Presentation of Results by Track 10 minutes C. Q&A                                                           TBD   D. Handouts (optional) Stakeholder Analysis and Event Diagram(s)

1. Completeness (all common elements and track details inclusive), clear and concise writing 40%
2. Statement of assumptions (especially where information is lacking) 20%
3. Strength of reasoning of arguments made in the common elements section and tracks 25%
4. Formatting and presentation skills 15%

Corporate Sponsors and course faculty are encouraged to submit one-page project proposal descriptions for inclusion in the project book to be distributed to the students at the start of the course. Submitted project descriptions may be very brief (one page) but should also include all the information listed in the project proposal template (PDF). Below are proposal topics from 2003, 2002 and 2001, as well as other sample project topics.

2003 Project Proposals

Student Proposals

• MIT Health Science & Technology and Neopets.com: Joint Solutions for Children’s Health Promotion
• Andean Health & Development (www.andeanhealth.com): Implementation and Evaluation of a Simple Telemedicine Service in Rural Ecuador (PDF)
• Integrated Hospital Lab, Pharmacy and Communication Databases
• Central Patient Information Management System

Faculty Proposals

• Ardais Corporation: Evaluation of Technology Solutions to Support the Patient Informed Consent Process in Conducting Clinical Genomic Research
• Children’s Hospital Boston: Developing Models for Bioterrorism Detection
• The Institute of Cybermedicine: SimOutbreak: A Computer-based Simulation for Teaching Epidemiology and Biological Disaster Management to Emergency First Response and Medical Personnel
• The Institute of Cybermedicine: A Computer-assisted Method for Screening and Treatment for Risky Drinking
• Mass Biotech Council: Drug Discovery and Informatics: Is there a 'Killer – App. hiding in the Bushes?'
• Veritas Health Solutions: A Computer-assisted System for the Management of Depression in Primary Care
• Veritas Health Solutions: A System to Manage the Behavioral Impact of Terrorism on Surge Capacity Following Attack by Chemical, Biological, or Radiological Weapons
•  Zix Corporation: Healthy Email

Corporate Proposals

• Clinician Support Technology (CST): Evaluation and Market Analysis of CST Pain Manager
• Clinician Support Technology (CST): Analysis of High-Risk Maternity Management (HRM) Market
• Oxford Bioscience Partners: Identification and Evaluation of Investment Opportunities in Emerging Clinical Diagnostics

2002 Final Projects

• Intellego Corporation
• PatientSite
• Evaluation of the Bioinformatics Space
• GlucoGPS: Product Design and Marketing Strategy
   

2001 Projects

Faculty Proposals

• eMedex: Japanese Market-based Online Back Pain Screening Tool
• Massachusetts General Hospital: An Internet-based System Utilizing Expert System Software and Laboratory Medicine Experts to Provide Physicians with Expert Guidance in Test Ordering and Interpretation of Laboratory Results
• Massachusetts General Hospital: Assessing Infusion Pump Technologies at the Bedside
• Merck: Effectiveness of Interactive Digital Education Modules for Physicians
• Merck: Evaluation of Physician-Patient e-Communication Options and Role of Pharma in Supporting this Channel
• Merck: Evaluation of "Patient CME"
• Institute of Cybermedicine, Harvard Medical School: The Impact of an Interactive Preventative Risk Profiling System to Reduce Tife Time Risk for Various Types of Cancers
• Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates: Readily Available Disease Management Tools Within a Computerized Medical Record System
• Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates: Techniques for Decreasing Medication Morbidity in the Patient with Sensory or Cognitive Impairments
• Harvard Medical International: Web-based Medical Curriculum Development
• Healinx, Inc.: As Assessment of Interfaced to Laboratory Inforamtion Systems: Opportunities and Obstacles
• Institute of Cybermedicine, Harvard Medical School: A Computer-Assisted Method for Screening and Treatment for Risky Drinking
• Institute of Cybermedicine, Harvard Medical School: SimOutbreak: A Computer-based Simulation for Teaching Epidemiology and Biological Disaster Management to Emergency Personnel
• LifeStart: The Impact of an Interactive Preventative Health Management System on Employee Productivity/Absenteeism, and Correlation to Associated Health Care Costs
• Archetype Technologies: Pervasive Patient Monitoring and Modeling
• Archetype Technologies: Bot -Based Medical Interview System
• CareGroup: E-Health Institute
• CareGroup: PatientSite: System for Connecting Patients with Providers

Student Proposals

• Patient Self Managed Web-based Medical Record (SMMR)
• Online Dementia Screening Instrument
• Strategic Planning for Market Exposure of a Web-based, Patient Controlled, Clinical Information Exchange Network
• Building a Flexible Electronic Medical Observation Repository
• Online Crisis Support Resources for Rape, Suicide, Depression, and Other Mental Health Issues
  

Other Sample Projects

• Design a computer-based system for managing depression in primary care
• Design an interactive voice response (IVR) system for screening students for risky drinking that also provides a brief, computer-assisted intervention to reduce risky use of alcohol
• Design a physician profiling system that is linked to a voluntary, automated self-assessment and continuing medical education system using the WWW as a multimedia educational resource
• Design an computer-based system for automating clinical guideline generation for use within integrated delivery systems, using a consensus building process among a group of "best-practice" experts
• Design a system for enhancing adherence to diet, exercise, and medication programs that reduce risk factors among patients with coronary heart disease
• Design a system for nurses to produce tailored educational videos for use after discharge by using the patient's TV in their hospital room as an interactive terminal
• Design a uniform, standardized, web-based method for reporting adverse drug reactions to pharmaceutical manufacturers