48 Hours of Innovation: Digital Health Hackathon 2026 Crowns Winning Team

Eight teams, eight real-world healthcare challenges and 48 hours of collaboration brought together technology, healthcare and innovation at the Digital Health Hackathon 2026, held between 30 October and 1 November at AX The Victoria Hotel in Sliema.

Organised by the IEEE Malta Section and the University of Malta's Faculty of ICT, Department of Information Systems, in collaboration with the Malta Digital Innovation Authority (MDIA), the hackathon brought together approximately 40 participants from diverse professional and academic backgrounds, including ICT, healthcare, engineering and research.

Following an intensive weekend of brainstorming, development and mentoring, Challenge 9, "Creating a Patient-First myHealth Mobile App", was announced as the winning team. The team tackled the challenge of making digital healthcare information and services more accessible, intuitive and patient-centred, demonstrating how technology can improve the experience of individuals navigating healthcare services.

The winning team comprised Blessing Oyebode, Veronique Spiteri, Sephora Camilleri, Abhinav Kumar and Izuchukwu Nwankwo, bringing together expertise from healthcare, clinical governance, biomedical science and information technology.

Tackling Real Healthcare Challenges

The hackathon challenged eight multidisciplinary teams to develop practical solutions to real-world healthcare problems.

The challenges included improving patient check-in and waiting-list management, developing a robotic companion for older persons in care homes, addressing medication gaps following hospital discharge, improving communication between patients, families and healthcare professionals, supporting falls prevention, identifying subtle changes in wellbeing, helping patients navigate appropriate healthcare services, and reimagining the myHealth mobile experience.

Participants had just 48 hours to transform these challenges into innovative concepts and working prototypes.

The weekend opened with an inspiring keynote by Dr Gege Gatt, CEO of EBO.AI, entitled AI in Healthcare: Automating Friction, Restoring Humanity. Throughout the event, participants benefited from technical workshops, expert mentoring and pitch coaching.

The atmosphere was energetic and collaborative, with teams working intensively, exchanging ideas, refining prototypes and testing different approaches. Participants who had never previously worked together combined their knowledge to develop solutions with potential applications beyond the competition.

Expert Guidance and Evaluation

The event benefited from mentors representing academia, healthcare, industry and digital innovation, including Dr Kristian Guillaumier, Mr Euchar Sultana, Prof. Carl James Debono, Prof. Mark Micallef, Mr Bernard Montebello, Ms Jodene Akeung and Prof. Stephen Lungaro-Mifsud.

During the final session, the eight teams presented their innovative solutions to a distinguished panel of five judges: Dr Jean-Marie Mifsud from the Malta Digital Innovation Authority (MDIA), Dr Steve Agius from Active Ageing and Community Care, Mr Arthur Gerada from HLL Malta, Mr Michael Azzopardi from EY Malta, and Dr Conrad Attard from the University of Malta and IEEE Malta Section. Each team delivered a five-minute pitch followed by questions from the judges, who evaluated the solutions based on healthcare impact, innovation, prototype quality, feasibility, safety, ethics and presentation.

Innovation That Makes a Difference

Dr Conrad Attard, Chair of the MSc in Digital Health, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of ICT and Chair of IEEE Malta Section, emphasised the importance of connecting technological development with human needs.

"Digital health is ultimately about people. Technology becomes meaningful when it addresses real healthcare challenges and improves the lives of patients, families and professionals. These 48 hours have demonstrated what can happen when individuals from different disciplines combine their knowledge, creativity and determination. The real opportunity now is to take these ideas beyond the hackathon and explore how they can make a lasting difference."

The event was supported by MCAST, HLL Malta, CareMalta, St Vincent de Paul, Frontiers, and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry for Health. Special appreciation was also extended to the organising committees, volunteers, judges and mentors whose dedication made the event possible.

Shape the Future of Healthcare

The hackathon highlighted the increasing importance of interdisciplinary education in preparing professionals to address emerging healthcare challenges.

The University of Malta offers an MSc in Digital Health, bringing together expertise from the Faculty of ICT and Faculty of Health Sciences. The programme explores artificial intelligence, digital health systems, data analytics, healthcare technologies and the transformation of healthcare delivery.

Healthcare professionals, ICT graduates and other interested applicants are encouraged to explore the programme and become part of the next generation of digital health innovators.

The hackathon may have lasted 48 hours, but the ideas, connections and collaborations it inspired have the potential to contribute to healthcare innovation well into the future.