Imagine a world where pediatric gastrointestinal disease could be diagnosed by swallowing a capsule-sized camera, where heart defects could be corrected by biodegradable implants, and where ADHD could be diagnosed through virtual reality. Georgia Tech and its partners are helping bring these world-changing ideas to life. 

On Nov. 5 – 6 , Georgia Tech hosted the Pediatric Healthcare Innovation Summit 2025 (PHIS), an annual event that brings champions of children’s health together to share knowledge, facilitate collaborative initiatives, and accelerate medical innovation. The summit was co-presented by the Pediatric Innovation Network (PIN), part of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, and the International Society for Pediatric Innovation (ISPI).

This year’s event included a tour of the new Arthur M. Blank Hospital, technology showcases, workshops, panel discussions, a poster session, and — for the first time — a pitch competition where companies were awarded funding from the Pediatric Device Consortium. 

“Georgia Tech is committed to advancing medicine, but in particular pediatric medicine, which is normally underfunded compared to adult healthcare,” Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera said. “We are committed to playing our part, and we're doing that in partnership with the best organizations, combining our engineering skills with clinical partners who understand the most important needs of children.”

Cabrera was a guest speaker for the event, which took place at two locations across campus: the newly opened Science Square and the Historic Academy of Medicine. He emphasized that championing causes such as pediatric healthcare innovation not only aligns with Georgia Tech’s mission, but also with the vision surrounding the new infrastructure being built across campus.

“We're committed to turning our city and our neighborhood into a hub of innovation, and the area of life sciences is one of those areas that we are supporting — including our new Science Square neighborhood, which is devoted to precisely this,” he said.

Though industry events happen every year, what makes PHIS unique is its goal of uniting not only clinicians and healthcare administrators, but also researchers, investors, and entrepreneurs.  Attendees are united around a shared goal of solving systemic problems and, ultimately, saving and improving the lives of children. Julia Kubanek, Georgia Tech’s Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research, said that this collaborative approach provides a unique opportunity to progress ideas and technologies that impact the industry.

“Particularly in the pediatric space, the market is relatively small. The number of sick children is small compared to the number of sick grown-ups, and when you have a specialized pediatric technology, it's sometimes difficult to get the resources to advance that into clinical trials and into products that can go to market,” she said. “This environment that the summit creates is a supportive one for solving those problems and advancing life-saving research.”

While this was the third year that the event featured a pitch competition, it was the first year that winners were awarded monetary prizes. By bringing startups and investors together, the PHIS plays a vital role in getting impactful research from conceptual to consumer ready. This year’s winners included: Luminoah in first place, Rhaeos in second, and AcQumen Medical in third.

Though the event does encourage friendly competition, the ultimate goal remains to improve the lives of children and their families through collaboration, thought leadership, and innovation.

“Our north star is taking care of children,” Anthony Chang, founder of ISPI, said in his opening remarks. “I think we underestimate how much we learn together. I look at our jobs not as jobs but as a special calling — taking care of children.”

In addition to PIN and ISPI, the event was sponsored by Georgia Tech’s Office of Corporate Engagement, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the Georgia Research Alliance, the International Children’s Advisory Network, and Shriner’s Children’s Research Institute, among others.