Pictured left to right: Dr. JoAnn Difede, Mariel Emrich, Stephanie Belina, and Fuyu Wang.

In February of this year, the International Virtual Reality Healthcare Association hosted its very first Healthcare Hackathon Invitational in Tampa Bay, Florida. The event aimed to encourage innovation and provide an open platform for immersive technologies in healthcare. The hackathon was open to undergraduate and graduate students from universities across the globe. Representing Cornell University were Ph.D. and graduate students Mariel Emrich, Stephanie Belina, and Fuyu Wang, accompanied by Dr. JoAnn Difede. Their virtual reality intervention for insomnia, with the military as a case study population, presented innovative solutions for sleep therapy that earned them second place at the IVRHA’s Hackathon. We’re proud to congratulate the Cornell University team, including our Virtual Embodiment Lab’s PhD Student Stephanie Belina, for their accomplishment and contribution to healthcare technology!