Deena Al-Sammak, Level 3 HESE, is the recipient of iBioMed’s Entrepreneurship Experience Award (EEA). This award, valued at $9,000, promotes entrepreneurship in equity-deserving groups in the Health, Engineering Science and Entrepreneurship (HESE) Specialization. It includes a scholarship program that facilitates entrepreneurial activities at the University level through a placement and mentorship.

Deena is currently developing her company HarmonEase Innovations. Her company is developing an assistive device for piano players who have limited hand mobility and finger dexterity.

In winter of 2023 Daniel D’Souza, Level 5 HESE, made his second contribution to the iBioMed program.

While the hands-on work and experiential learning aspects of the iBioMed program is what brought D’Souza to McMaster, he says the driving force behind his success and passion over the last five years has been the people he’s met along the way.

“The most important aspect that makes this program so successful is the dedicated instructional team. From the TAs to lab techs to community partners to professors, there is a real sense of community where all these individuals strive to provide students with the tools and guidance to succeed.”

A team of HESE students won The People’s Choice Poster Award at the 2022 McMaster Innovation Showcase. Their poster, “The Manipulable Endotracheal Tube,” was designed as part of iBioMed’s HESE course Innovators in Scrubs.

This team has continued moving their innovation forward with neurosurgeon Dr. Bill Wang through the Residency at The Clinic.

From left: Hunter Csetri, Lily Shengjia Zhong, Emnpreet Bahra and Esa Ahmad