Loyola University Chicago and MATTER launch 2024 Loyola Chicago Health Equity Quest
Competition will advance solutions supporting the mental health of early career professionals
August 7, 2024, CHICAGO, IL — Loyola University Chicago’s Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health and MATTER, the premier healthcare incubator and innovation hub, today launched the 2024 Loyola Chicago Health Equity Quest. The competition will advance innovative solutions that support the mental health of early career professionals and prepare a cohort of startups for a live pitch event on November 14, 2024.
The mental health of early career professionals is a critical issue that significantly affects individual well-being and overall organizational productivity. Making this transition all the more daunting, access to mental health support is not always equitable, with disparities based on socioeconomic status, race, gender and other factors. MATTER and Loyola invite innovators to help answer the following question:
How might we better support mental health equity in the workplace?
Loyola and MATTER are specifically seeking mental health solutions that support students transitioning into the workplace and early career professionals.
Loyola and MATTER invite innovators across industries and disciplines to submit forward-thinking and creative solutions, ideas or concepts for technologies, methodologies and services that make mental health support more equitable and accessible. This global call for solutions is open to individuals and teams from across the innovation ecosystem, including university researchers and students, entrepreneurs, startups at any stage and nonprofit organizations.
“At the Parkinson School, we are committed to empowering early career professionals to achieve their full potential, particularly in the realm of mental health,” said Elaine Morrato, DrPH, MPH, CPH, founding dean and professor of Loyola University Chicago’s Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health. “Through our partnership with MATTER, we hope to provide tailored support and resources, fostering resilience and well-being in this critical stage of their careers.”
Up to 10 finalists will be selected from the application pool to participate in a two-week sprint. During the sprint, they will meet with Loyola University Chicago and MATTER teams and mentors to hone their value propositions, advance their solutions and prepare for a live pitch event on November 14, 2024. At the event, finalists will present their solutions to executives, investors and the public. Winning teams will share a pot of $35,000.
“MATTER’s mission is to accelerate the pace of change of healthcare, and one area where we really need to see more progress, quickly, is in improving mental health,” said Steven Collens, CEO of MATTER. “We’re delighted to team up with one of the most innovative schools of public health to advance solutions to improve the well-being of early career professionals, who have been particularly affected by pandemic-driven workplace changes and evolving social dynamics.”
To learn more about the Loyola Health Equity Quest and mental health challenges facing early career professionals, join MATTER and Loyola virtually on September 5, 2024, for Reimagining Mental Health in the Workforce.
About MATTER
At MATTER, we believe collaboration is the best way to improve healthcare. The MATTER collaborative includes more than 1,000 current and alumni startups from around the world, working together with dozens of hospitals and health systems, universities and industry-leading companies to build the future of healthcare. Together we are accelerating innovation, advancing care and improving lives. For more information, visit matter.health and follow @MATTERhealth.
About Loyola University Chicago’s Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health
Loyola University Chicago launched the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health in Fall 2019 to educate the health entrepreneurs of the future and impact health care accessibility and equity nationally. The Parkinson School offers 19 degree programs and three certificate and internship programs in four areas of study: Public Health Sciences, Healthcare Administration, Health Informatics and Data Science, and Applied Health Sciences. The School builds on the foundations of Loyola’s nationally recognized Stritch School of Medicine and its Biomedical Programs, Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, and Loyola’s partnership with Trinity Health (known in the Chicago area as Loyola Medicine). To learn more about the Parkinson School, visit LUC.edu/Parkinson or follow us on Twitter via @LoyolaParkinson or Instagram via @Loyola_Parkinson.