Sustainability in Healthcare Challenge
What is your bold solution to reduce the environmental impact of the healthcare system?
Despite its mission to improve human health, the healthcare industry contributes to environmental harm, adversely affecting our patients and communities. Indeed, in the United States, 8.5% of greenhouse gas emissions are generated by our medical system, and the industry is the second leading contributor to landfill waste. We are seeking creative and bold solutions to reduce this harmful impact and accelerate the healthcare sustainability movement.
The Office of Sustainability in the Health Sciences, Office of Multidisciplinary Innovations in the Health Sciences, and the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation are introducing the Sustainability in Healthcare Challenge as the University of Pittsburgh’s first funding opportunity to advance sustainability in healthcare.
We invite you to submit proposals that align with our commitment to promoting environmental, economic, and social sustainability in healthcare.
Award Details
Over $125,000 in total awards are available for funding. Three faculty projects will be selected to receive a $40,000 award, and up to two additional student projects will each receive $2,500 awards. The winning teams receives an award for direct costs and will be provided project management support to help execute a 12-month project to take the team’s solution one step further along the path of development. Commercialization support will be available, as appropriate.
Learn more about the previous winners!
2025 Winners
- Flipping the Paradigm: Using lessons from a comparative assessment of surgical supply use in high and low resource settings to develop a Green OR pilot at UPMC – Dr. Jennifer Makin, Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Closing the Loop: A Multi-Layer Mask System to Capture, Convert, and Neutralize Anesthetic Gases – Dr. Nitin Agarwal, Swanson School of Engineering & Dr. Kojo Hamilton, Neurological Surgery, School of Medicine
- Reducing Lab Plastic Waste through Reuse of “Single-Use” Consumables – Dr. David Gau, Department of Pathology
- DRDIN-MPS: A Sustainable, Patient-Specific Microphysiology Platform for Diabetes DrugDiscovery – Dr. Ipsita Banerjee, Swanson School of Engineering
2024 Winners
- Additively Manufactured Sustainable Filters for Healthcare Applications – Dr. Markus Chmielus, Swanson School of Engineering
- Optimizing STAT Medevac Dispatch for Fuel Efficiency and Carbon Footprint Reduction – Dr. Natasa Vidic, Swanson School of Engineering
- Development of a Reusable Pulse Oximeter Prototype Functional in Clinical Settings – Dr. Isabella Angelelli, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine & Dr. Kevin Bell, Swanson School of Engineering
