WMU Pair Recognized for Infant Respiratory Device

A Western Michigan University (WMU) alumnus and recent WMU graduate have been recognized for inventing a life-saving respiratory device to treat critically ill infants.

Alumnus Stephen John of Portage and graduate Joseph Barnett of Kalamazoo are among the winners of the Lemelson-MIT National Collegiate Student Prize Competition.

The pair invented NeoVent, a respiratory support device designed to treat critically ill infants in developing nations.

The prize came with $10,000 for the team. A total of $65,000 was awarded to teams whose inventions would improve healthcare, transportation, food and agriculture and consumer devices and tools. Students from 28 colleges and universities in the United States applied.

Both Barnett and John studied biomedical sciences at WMU and plan to pursue medical degrees.

The young men created NeoVent after a Respiratory Therapists Without Borders official told John about the need for a low-cost medical device that could help prevent lung collapse in premature babies in respiratory distress in hospitals that lack costly medical equipment that typically provides the therapy. Ventilation equipment commonly available in developed nations is not always readily available in medical centers in developing countries.

John, a Nepal native, volunteers every summer at the United Mission Hospital in Tansen. He was in Nepal this past spring helping to repair medical equipment and preparing for NeoVent clinical trials. He graduated summa cum laude from WMU with undegraduate degrees in biomedical studies and mechanical engineering, and has begun medical school at the University of Michigan.

Barnett started working with students in Honduras after hearing of a teacher shortage there, and has been to Honduras six times in the past five years. There, he has driven school buses, led clothing donation efforts and volunteered in a local hospital. He plans to teach in Honduras for a year before attending medical school.

“During our time at these low-resource settings, we were able to see that in order for medical devices to have high impact they not only have to be simple, but they also have to be resilient,” Barnett told the Kalamazoo Gazette.

Barnett and John started working on the device more than 18 months ago in John’s home and refined it in an engineering lab on WMU’s campus. 

NeoVent will be priced at about $25, a fraction of the price of a ventilator.

“I am really excited,” John said. “It’s so fulfilling to see our device reach this point from its humble beginnings in my basement. We’re really grateful for the support we’ve received from Western as well as other individuals in the Kalamazoo community. We couldn’t have reached this point without them. Hopefully this brings us one step closer our ultimate goal of saving neonatal lives. “

Screeners and judges for the Lemelson-MIT awards assessed candidates on the breadth and depth of inventiveness and creativity; potential for societal benefit and economic commercial success; community and environmental systems impact; and experience as a role model for youth.

The competition, supported by the Lemelson Foundation, builds on the legacy of the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize, which has served as a springboard for collegiate inventors for 20 years.

John and Barnett also have won a research and creative activities award from Lee Honors College. They were a part of WMU’s student business accelerator, Starting Gate. 

In the past year, several Starting Gate accelerator students have received patents, recognitions and financial awards for their entrepreneurial efforts, the newspaper reports.