Dr. Joseph Petruccelli and CoeurWay startup honoured for AI-powered solution to clinician burnout
SOURCE: The Institute
November 27, 2024
Joseph Petruccelli, MD, a trainee from the Surgical and Interventional Sciences (SIS) Program at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (The Institute), was recognized on October 17 for his contributions to healthcare technology at the 2024 Prix Hippocrate awards ceremony. Representing the startup CoeurWay, where he serves as Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Petruccelli accepted two awards at the event held at St-James Theatre in Montreal: the Innovation Award in Digital, Technological, and AI Transformation (Emerging Category) and the Grand Prix Hippocrate for Best Emerging Health Innovation.
The Prix Hippocrate awards celebrate Canadian initiatives that make a meaningful impact on public health and well-being, recognizing contributions from both public and private sectors. CoeurWay’s award-winning technology, an AI-powered digital scribe, addresses a critical issue in healthcare: clinician and nurse burnout due to administrative burdens. By automating medical documentation tasks, CoeurWay’s digital scribe technology aims to streamline workflows, allowing healthcare professionals to dedicate more time to direct patient care. A report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business highlights that in 2021, 53% of doctors and 94% of nurses experienced burnout, with administrative tasks consuming about 50% of their time.
Dr. Petrucelli is completing his M.Sc. in Experimental Surgery at McGill University under the supervision of Dr. Reggie Hamdy, Associate Investigator in the SIS Program at The Institute. Reflecting on this experience, Dr. Petruccelli says, “The SIS and the Surgical Innovation Program at McGill provided me with a transformative experience, offering hands-on learning in design thinking and invaluable insights from experienced innovators and leaders. I gained access to an extensive innovation network connected to the MUHC and The Institute, which deepened my understanding of the innovation landscape. The program equipped me with the skills to lead and manage a startup team, as well as the ability to conceptualize, design, develop and pilot solutions to unmet needs within the healthcare sector."
Dr. Petruccelli’s expertise and vision led him to assume the role of Chief Medical Officer at CoeurWay midway through his training at the RI-MUHC’s Clinical Innovation Platform (CLIP), where he applied his knowledge to guide the late-stage startup in its mission to automate medical documentation through a bilingual digital scribe. "I was able to apply the knowledge and expertise gained from the CLIP program to steer CoeurWay towards success, ensuring appropriate product adjustments, building key partnerships, and effectively navigating the innovation ecosystem," he says.
This work by Dr. Petruccelli and the CoeurWay team demonstrates the potential for transformative solutions within healthcare, using the collaborative and applied learning models supported by the CLIP Platform at The Institute. CoeurWay’s innovative AI platform signals a promising shift towards a more efficient and sustainable healthcare system, where the focus can return to what matters most—patient care.
Learn more about the Prix Hippocrate (in French).
Related news
CoeurWay: an AI scribe that reduces medical note writing time by 70% (on the Vitrine AI website)
McGill student’s startup wins two awards for AI healthcare innovation (on the McGill website)