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UVA Health believes that its most promising innovators and change makers likely come from within — from the people who care for patients, work in the research labs, lead clinical trials, and collaborate with fellow team members day in and day out. In this spirit, UVA Health has launched its second annual Spark Innovation Competition, which was established in 2022 to leverage the wisdom, energy, and dedication of its team members and bring positive change to the organization’s culture. 

In its second year, the competition is focused on improving the research environment. This includes ideas that impact the way research is conducted, the processes required to conduct research, and the quality of life of UVA Health team members conducting research and those who support the research community across the UVA Health System. The submission deadline is Feb. 29, 2024.

“The goal of the Spark Competition is to enhance the culture of the research environment by tapping into the creativity of the amazing people who work here,” said Dr. David Kashatus, Associate Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology, and leader of the Spark Innovation Project Team. “The Spark Competition was initiated in 2022 based on feedback collected from over 400 UVA Health team members indicating a strong desire and drive to implement positive change within the Health System, but insufficient mechanisms for frontline team members to fully engage in the process. Spark upends the traditional hierarchy by employing a diverse team of faculty, staff, and students to directly seek and reward the most innovative ideas.”

The competition will span two rounds with judges evaluating all submissions on feasibility, impact, and sustainability. In the first round, judges will narrow the field to ten ideas that will each receive a $1,000 prize. Those submitting the ten winning ideas will then work with a performance improvement coach to further develop and build out their concepts. In the second round, judges will select three winning ideas for implementation. Every submission will be shared widely with local leaders for further visibility and potential implementation at the local level. 

UVA Health launched last year’s competition with an initial goal to select three winning ideas for implementation. After receiving numerous outstanding submissions, the judging panel expanded the number of winners to six, including: 

• Ann Mercer, Peri-Operative Services | Paint the parking garages with murals or bright colors with improved wayfinding 
• Dr. Miriam Gomez-Sanchez, Hospital Medicine | Establish wellness space for exercise within the hospital for team members 
• Richard Rose, Telemedicine | Create integrated mobile app that guides patients where to go during their appointments 
• Dr. Bob Goldstein, Anesthesiology | Expand access to medication reclaim boxes 
• Dr. Christie Schaeffer, Plastic & Maxillofacial Surgery Resident | Improve lactating experience for team members 
• Dr. Carrie Kovacik, Pharmacy Resident | Offer free feminine supplies in bathrooms 

“It’s a joy to work on the Spark Innovation Competition and get an up-close view of the brilliance, wisdom, and creativity of our front-line team members,” said Hannah Fitzhugh, Special Initiatives Lead for UVA Health. “The inaugural Spark Competition was especially inspirational because of the teamwork involved in bringing ideas to fruition. The collaboration and motivation to implement Spark ideas is managed by people who otherwise may not work together, creating new opportunities for professional collaboration and creativity.” 

“In the last year, the Spark project teams have delivered over 25,000 free feminine products to team members and patients, installed six new medication reclaim boxes across Virginia to improve drug waste disposal, installed beautiful wayfinding murals in the patient parking garages, updated the lactation rooms with computers and furniture, implemented the first UVA lactation policy to empower lactating team members, started a pilot for a patient navigation app, and began exploring options to build a fitness center for team members,” Fitzhugh continued. “The competition has already had quite an impact and we’re looking forward to expanding that into our research environment next.”

Visit the Spark website for submission guidelines, more information, and to submit an idea.