Saudi Arabia to Host Harvard's Global Health Hackathon for the First Time

Landmark Event to Bring AI-Powered Healthcare Innovation to Jeddah

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA — April 2025 — In a landmark moment for the Kingdom’s digital transformation journey, the Harvard Health Systems Innovation Lab (HSIL) has announced that its prestigious Health Systems Innovation Hackathon will be held for the first time in Saudi Arabia. The two-day event will take place on April 11–12, 2025, at Dr. Sulaiman Al-Habib Hospital – Alfaiha, Jeddah, and is organized in collaboration with Prince Mohammed Bin Salman College (MBSC) and hosted by Dr. Sulaiman Alhabib Academy.

Themed “Building High-Value Health Systems: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence,” the hackathon will convene more than 120 multidisciplinary participants—from medical professionals and engineers to public health experts and AI innovators—to co-create solutions that address real-world healthcare system challenges using AI.

“Bringing Harvard’s Health Innovation Hackathon to Saudi Arabia for the first time is a defining moment. It reflects our national readiness to lead in digital health and gives our youth a platform to shape the future of healthcare.” — Ameer Albahouth, Mentor, Organizer, and Founder of Arbaaa

Catalyzing Vision 2030 Through Health Innovation

As Saudi Arabia continues to advance toward its Vision 2030 goals, this hackathon represents a powerful convergence of local talent, global expertise, and digital health ambition. Teams will work over an intense 48-hour period to propose, prototype, and pitch AI-powered healthcare solutions across five critical domains: diagnostics, care delivery, health literacy, preventive health, and pediatric care systems.

Participants will be supported by an elite network of mentors including leading healthcare executives, AI experts, and policymakers. Mentors such as Dr. Abdulrahman Almohammedi, Eman Almutiriy, Najla Alhasan, Mohammed Alkhtani, Manal Altalal, Qassim Alkhateeb, Dr. Manal Alnimri and others will provide hands-on guidance through team formation, idea development, and final pitch preparation.

The judging panel features an esteemed lineup of health system leaders:

• Dr. Osama Khoja – General Director for Medical Diagnostic Laboratories (MDLAB); Corporate Medical Director of HMG
• Dr. Bader Aljaser – President, RAITI Middle East
• Dr. Rayyan Alharbi – CEO, NEOM Hospital
• Dr. Hani Alhashmi – Senior Medical Director & Country Medical Lead, Pfizer Saudi Arabia
• Dr. Hani Mufti – Associate Professor of Cardiac Surgery
• Ghadeer Almuaini – GM Healthcare Innovation at RDIA
• Nabeel Goheer – PhD, Chief of Asia, Middle East, Europe (AMEE) Region
• Nicola Cogan – KAUST / Sentinel Mental Health

A Launchpad for Real-World Implementation

Winners of the hackathon will be invited to a two-week bootcamp to refine their solutions, followed by the opportunity to join the HSIL Venture Incubation Program—a four-week global accelerator aimed at transforming concepts into scalable ventures with real-world healthcare impact.

Participants will also hear from keynote speaker Prof. Rifat Atun of Harvard University, one of the world’s leading voices in health systems reform and innovation.

Event Details:

• Dates: April 11–12, 2025
• Location: Dr. Sulaiman Al-Habib Hospital – Alfaiha, Jeddah
• Organized by: Harvard Health Systems Innovation Lab (HSIL)
• In Collaboration with: Prince Mohammed Bin Salman College (MBSC)
• Hosted by: Dr. Sulaiman Alhabib Academy
• Theme: Building High-Value Health Systems: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence

To learn more or apply to attend, visit: drsmag.com