Highlight Feature: Momentum Health
By Alyssa Gin
Momentum Health is an uprising startup to promote and advocate for patients with scoliosis. They specifically focus on creating high precision technology that allows patients to analyze and understand their scoliosis from virtually anywhere.
Momentum Health was developed by a team of five individuals: Jean Ouellet, Evan, Dimentberg, Philippe Miller, Frank De Wijk, and Leander Goor. Dr. Jean Ouellet is a pediatric surgeon at McGill University that focuses on scoliosis and spine surgery for children; this unique experience has allowed him to focus on young patients, especially in the earlier stages of developing scoliosis. Similarly, Evan Dimentberg holds a Doctor of Medicine degree, providing him the necessary medical experience and knowledge in promoting the advocacy of scoliosis. Meanwhile, the CEO of Momentum Health, Philippie Miller, holds experience and research of working in intersections of operations, health, and economics. For example, in 2020-2021, he was part of the McGill Centre for the Convergence of Health and Economics as a research intern to promote approaches to innovation and policy for solutions in healthcare. Likewise, Frank De Wijk is the CTO and a co-founder of Momentum Health. By the same token, Leander Goor is the co-CTO and a co-founder to the foundation of Momentum Health. In the last decade, he has been working at Allinq, an organization dedicated to making global connections and facilitating innovative teamwork.
With their shared experiences, this team of five were able to develop Momentum Health that has clear focuses not only with their medical knowledge, but their management and networking skills to share their passions with the world. Currently, they are developing a mobile app that allows individuals to study and predict their spinal curvature. It employs the phone’s camera to create a 3D image model of the body, focusing on creating a clear report. Not only does it promote control of learning about an individual’s scoliosis, but it provides community-focused tools to learn about healthcare, without the burden of financial stability.
It is imperative that we take advantage of our modern world and its rapidly developing technology. Equally, with inflation that has staggered the economy in the last few years, it has become more difficult to gain accessible healthcare, especially for marginalized communities. In today’s world, people of color, women, the LGBTQ+ community, and more still face prejudice and discrimination in the field from healthcare workers to healthcare management. Consequently, many marginalized groups are afraid to reach out, especially when their conditions are chronic and costly. However, through applications such as Momentum Health, it allows individuals to understand their conditions and severity through visual imaging and remote technology. As they continue to develop, it is undeniable that they will be able to aid thousands of patients worldwide that are struggling with their condition, but also those that are unaware and are developing the condition. Accordingly, it is imperative that we continue to develop community-friendly applications, as it can save thousands of lives with the push of a button.
Works Cited
“Momentum Health: Remote Management of Scoliosis.” Momentum Health | Remote Management of Scoliosis, 2 Aug. 2024, momentum.health/.
