A LIMERICK woman with a big heart and a bigger brain has made headlines the world over after being named the winner of the Global Medical Award at this year’s James Dyson Awards.
24-year-old Olivia Humphreys took home the prestigious global award for her Athena invention, a portable device that makes scalp cooling treatment more accessible for chemotherapy patients.
Scalp cooling is a form of therapy which can help slow or prevent hair loss in patients undergoing chemotherapy, usually administered during chemo sessions.
Olivia was awarded the top prize in the Irish James Dyson Awards early last month, qualifying her for this week’s global awards where she was named as one of two winners to each take home a €38,000 prize, along with postdoctoral researchers Shane Ki Hla Win and Danial Sufiyan Bin Shaiful who won in the Sustainability category for their airXeed weather reusable forecasting device.
Olivia was inspired to create the Athena device having witnessed her mother’s battle with cancer, explaining that, throughout her fight with the disease after her diagnosis in 2019, hair loss was one among many worries for her mother.
A vast majority of patients receiving chemotherapy experience hair loss, and scalp cooling is a little-known treatment that is not widely provided to patients because of its costs and high demand. It works by applying ice-cold temperatures to the scalp to shrink blood vessels and limit blood flow, decreasing the chance of hair loss.
In hospitals, cooling machines are not widely available – available in only eight Irish hospitals and costing up to €216,000 per machine – and can only cater to two patients at a time. Olivia’s Athena device aims to make the treatment more accessible and affordable – at just five per cent of the cost and a fraction of the weight.
Reacting to her major win, the product design and technology graduate said “I’m incredibly proud of the hard work, ambition, and commitment that went into creating Athena. The recognition from the James Dyson Award validates not just my efforts, but also the stories and insights shared by people who’ve experienced cancer treatment.”
“My mum inspired this journey, and it’s incredibly emotional and rewarding to have my project reach this level. The award has motivated me to recognise my potential, and it opens up exciting opportunities for me as a young designer and innovator.”
The James Dyson Awards first started in 2006 and aims to support life-changing inventions and encourage inventors to tackle major world issues.
