Medical Device Link.

The Medical Design Excellence Awards (MDEA) program has begun accepting entries for its 2008 competition.

The MDEA competition is the premier awards program for the medical technology community, offering recognition to manufacturers, suppliers, and the many people behind the scenes—engineers, scientists, designers, and clinicians—who are responsible for the groundbreaking innovations that are changing the face of healthcare. Now entering its 11th year, the program has previously presented awards to more than 250 groundbreaking healthcare products.

To be eligible for the 2008 competition, products must be commercially available—able to be ordered or purchased—by December 31, 2007. The standard deadline for entries is December 17, 2007. The final deadline for entries (with payment of a late fee) is January 18, 2008.

The MDEA program is open worldwide to companies and individuals involved in the design, engineering, manufacture, or distribution of finished medical devices or medical packaging. Awards are offered in each of the following 10 categories, and may be offered in additional subcategories as determined by the jurors.

• Critical-care and emergency medicine products
• Dental instruments, equipment, and supplies
• Finished packaging
• General hospital devices and therapeutic products
• Implant and tissue-replacement products
• In vitro diagnostics (biochemicals for diagnostic use, related instrumentation, and home-use devices)
• Over-the-counter self-care products
• Radiological and electromechanical devices (diagnostic imaging devices, energy-emitting therapy devices)
• Rehabilitation and assistive-technology products (healthcare furnishings, patient-transfer equipment, and home-use medical equipment and supplies)
• Surgical equipment, instruments, and supplies

The Proprio Foot motor-powered prosthesis by Ossur (Reykjavik, Iceland), won a gold 2007 Medical Design Excellence Award in the category of rehabilitation and assistive-technology products.

Entries are evaluated by a multidisciplinary panel of jurors with expertise in engineering, medicine, human factors, industrial design, manufacturing, and other design- and healthcare-related fields. Winning products will be announced in April 2008, and honored with gold and silver awards in a ceremony during the Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) East Conference and Exposition, June 3–5, 2008, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

The MDEA program is presented by Canon Communications (Los Angeles), with publication sponsorship provided by Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry (MD&DI) magazine.

	The Etchmaster dental air abrasive etching instrument by Groman Inc. (Margate, FL), won a gold 2007 Medical Design Excellence Award in the category of dental instruments, equipment, and supplies.

The MDEA competition accepts the endorsement of professional and industry organizations whose members are involved in the design and development of medical technologies. Endorsing organizations supply expertise that assists in the development of the competition. Endorsing organizations of the MDEA program currently include the ACCE Healthcare Technology Foundation (Plymouth Meeting, PA), AdvaMed (Washington, DC), the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (Washington, DC), the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (Santa Monica, CA), the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (Washington, DC), and the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (Hadley, MA).

For additional details, including a downloadable entry form, entrants should visit the MDEA Web site at www.MDEAwards.com.

© 2007 Canon Communications LLC

Return to MX: Issues Update.