The recent StagHack Competition held in February was a remarkable demonstration of the creativity and problem-solving abilities of Fairfield's engineering students. This daylong hackathon featured eight teams competing to develop innovative software solutions for a complex scheduling challenge in healthcare, which is regarded as one of the most challenging problems in the field.
Sponsored by advisory board member and CEO of PurseCare, Nick Mercadante ’04, the StagHack provided a dynamic environment where students could collaborate, innovate, and apply their skills to real-world issues. Hackathons are designed for students interested in teamwork and collaboration, and this event certainly embodied that spirit.
During the competition, teams worked closely with mentors to tackle the pressing challenges facing the biomedical and healthcare sectors, focusing specifically on scheduling. This is particularly crucial in healthcare, where it is often difficult to ensure that patients, especially those struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues, continue their treatment. “The earlier we can get a new patient into their first appointment, the higher the chance of staying with treatment,” emphasized Associate Dean and Director of the Cybersecurity master’s program Mirco Speretta, PhD. Research shows that the sooner a new patient can secure their first appointment, the greater the likelihood they will stay engaged in their treatment.
Participants in the StagHack created algorithms aimed at minimizing the time it takes for new patients to reach their initial appointments. Working with real anonymized data provided by PurseCare, the students developed practical solutions that could significantly impact patient care.
Team “Students of Speretta,” comprising Ryan Nigborowicz ’25, Phuc Nguyen ’25, and Vishesh Patel ’25, emerged victorious, showcasing their outstanding capabilities in the process.
Dr. Speretta reflected on the success of the event, noting the impressive turnout of students from computer science, data science, and engineering who arrived at early on a Saturday morning to develop a software project for five hours. He noted, “The StagHack is always an energizing event for our community!” He also highlighted the significance of the CEO of PurseCare, who not only provided the data and judges but also delivered a presentation about his experience in healthcare. This was invaluable input for all participants, students, and faculty alike attending the event.
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