7th OPEN MIC Night at Richardson Memorial Hall Highlights Health Innovation Across Tulane
Open MIC Night Spring 2026 winners with the judging panel and Kimberly Gramm and Dr. Nassir F. Marrouche
Richardson Memorial Hall has long been associated with medicine in New Orleans. The first building to bear the name opened in 1893 near Charity Hospital. When Tulane moved uptown, a new Richardson Memorial Hall opened on campus in 1908, continuing its role as a center for medical education and research during a period when New Orleans was confronting cholera and yellow fever. In keeping with Tulane’s early medical innovation tradition in that same building, Dr. Charles C. Bass, then dean of the School of Medicine, invented modern dental floss, reflecting a broader emphasis on applied, solutions-oriented healthcare at Tulane. The School of Architecture and Built Environment has called the building home since 1968, after the School of Medicine returned downtown.
On April 15, 2026, the recently renovated historic building once again became a gathering place for health innovation, as Tulane students, faculty, and staff pitched bold ideas at the 7th Open Medical Innovation Challenge (OPEN MIC) Night.
OPEN MIC Night is presented by the Robert L. Priddy Innovation Lab at the Tulane Innovation Institute in partnership with the Tulane School of Medicine's Deming Department of Medicine. The program was originally conceived by Kimberly Gramm, MBA, PhD, the David and Marion Mussafer Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer, and by internationally recognized electrophysiologist Dr. Nassir F. Marrouche, both of whom kicked off the evening.
"What strikes me most about this event is that everyone who walks through that door is here to help someone. The innovators on stage want to help people in their communities who are facing health challenges. The mentors in the room want to help the innovators. The judges and investors want to support the best ideas as they make their way into the world. That chain of people helping people is how change happens — and it starts right here, at Open MIC Night!" Gramm stated.
Since its launch in spring 2023, OPEN MIC Night has received 166 ideas from across the university — spanning undergraduate students, faculty, fellows, and alumni — and has invested over $20,500 in early-stage projects. The 7th cycle drew 36 applicants from 7 Tulane schools, with 10 finalists from 5 schools selected to present.
Open MIC Night Spring 2026 was co-hosted with StartupNOLA NOW and held at Richardson Memorial Hall, Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment
Co-hosted with StartupNOLA NOW and serving as the opening night event of the Tulane Research, Innovation, and Creativity Summit, the evening brought together more than 200 New Orleanians, including investors, founders, and community members, to support the competitors.
Each presenter had three minutes to pitch, followed by two minutes of Q&A with a judging panel that reflected the program’s cross-sector reach. Judges included Tania Dall (Camelback Ventures), Lindsey Navarro (El Centro), Dr. Sindhu Pandit (Ochsner Health / Hyro), Dr. Jeff Myers (JLMyersMD Consulting), and Ruda Pollard (Mayor’s Office of Economic Development). They evaluated ideas on innovation, feasibility, and potential impact while offering guidance on commercialization and next steps.
Kimberly Gramm and Dr. Nassir F. Marrouche with Annabelle Patterson
Three projects received $750 awards, while all participants will receive further TUII mentorship and support
Wafaa Elwakil, a MPHTM candidate at the Tulane Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, presented a real-time environmental surveillance and alert platform to detect Vibrio vulnificus in Louisiana waterways. Last summer, five people in Louisiana died even while water conditions were still being reported as safe. Her platform aims to reduce mortality through early detection and targeted intervention.
Annabelle Patterson, an undergraduate double-majoring in Management, Finance, and Accounting at the A.B. Freeman School of Business while pursuing a graduate degree, proposed developing and licensing car safety systems that address disparities in crash test dummy specifications, with the goal of improving safety outcomes for women.
Yinga Wu, a postdoctoral researcher at the Tulane School of Medicine, presented a dual-target therapy that addresses fibrosis by targeting multiple molecular pathways, in partnership with Connor Schiefferle, an undergraduate in the School of Science and Engineering.
The People’s Choice Award and $500 went to Raahil Rab, an undergraduate in the Tulane School of Science and Engineering, for CarryOn — an AI practice partner that reinforces what patients learn in therapy between sessions.
Additional presenting finalists included: Jooyoung "John" Moon (School of Medicine), Kailen Citron (School of Medicine & A.B. Freeman School of Business), Danielle Tcholakian (School of Social Work), Huy (Wee) Pham (School of Science and Engineering), Isabella Posey (School of Science and Engineering), and Juliette Dixon (School of Social Work).
All applicants receive continued mentorship and invitations to participate in future Tulane Innovation entrepreneurial education programs, including customer discovery resources through the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program.
From its earliest days to today, Richardson Memorial Hall reflects a legacy: the most important ideas are those built to improve lives — a principle carried forward by the School of Architecture and Built Environment, and throughout the entire university where knowledge is generated and applied to address the urgent challenges of humankind, "Not for oneself, but for one's own".
The next cycle of OPEN MIC Night applications opens August 17, 2026. More information about the Tulane Innovation Institute and its programs is available at innovation.tulane.edu/programs.
