Multidisciplinary Team from Lurie Children’s Supports Innovation at Society of Critical Care Event

Team members from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute recently shared their expertise at the Society of Critical Care Medicine Discovery Critical Care Innovation Incubator, an event that brought together clinicians, researchers, industry partners, and investors for a day of educational programming, a pitch competition, poster sessions, and networking opportunities focused on emerging trends in critical care innovation. The all-day event was part of the society’s 2026 Critical Care Congress.

As co-chair of the Innovation Incubator event, Kelley Elahi, MSE, RN, Associate Director of the Innovation Portfolio for Manne Research Institute’s Innovate2Impact program, helped design the event’s programming, selecting relevant topics and speakers for each session. Her contributions also included moderating the Pitch-a-Palooza: Showcasing Innovations in Critical Care session, which brought together attendees to share and pitch ideas and concepts that have potential to advance critical care medicine, and serving as a judge for the poster sessions. 

Roundtable sessions concentrated on specific topics of importance to the innovation process, such as technology transfer, regulatory issues, and investing, and showcased how these apply to the critical care space. Lurie Children’s team members led two of the sessions: Katelyn Storton, Senior Director of Supply Chain Management, oversaw a session on value analysis and Erica Isaacs, Innovation Portfolio Manager for Manne Research Institute’s Innovate2Impact program, led a session on customer discovery. 

Additionally, representatives from Lurie Children’s nursing team, the Innovate2Impact team, and the Division of Critical Care contributed to the success of the event. The Department of Nursing and Innovate2Impact co-sponsored the Lurie Children’s Pediatric Innovation Poster Award. Several members of Lurie Children’s nursing team and the Innovate2Impact team participated in the event and served as judges for the pediatric poster award: Yorman Gomez, BSN, RN, Nursing Professional Development Practitioner, Cardiac Care Unit; Eileen Romano, DNP, MBA, RN, Director; Brian Stahulak, DNP, MBA, RN, Senior Vice President, Chief Clinical and Nursing Officer; Lauren Sorce, PhD, RN, Senior Director, Nursing Research and Operations; Amanda Maldonado, PhD, Innovation Portfolio Manager for Innovate2Impact; Bianca Riello, Managing Director, Consortium for Technology & Innovation in Pediatrics; and Katherine Maskel, MBA, Associate Director of Industry Engagement for Innovate2Impact. Finally, Nelson Sanchez-Pinto, MD, participated in the event as a critical care innovator, representing both the Lurie Children’s Division of Critical Care and the Center for Pediatric Acute and Critical Care Research and Innovation. 

Innovate2Impact bridges the gap between discovery, useful products, and technologies to support medical research and new ideas at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago in its progress toward scalable impact and commercialization. Learn more about Innovate2Impact’s work or share an idea you may have. 

*Photos courtesy of Society of Critical Care Medicine