PORTLAND, Maine– MedRhythms, a digital therapeutics company building direct stimulation solutions that use clinical-grade sensors, AI-driven software and music to help restore function lost to neurologic disease or injury, today announced a partnership with the Roux Institute, a groundbreaking initiative by Northeastern University focused on fostering talent at the intersection of the life science and artificial intelligence industries. The partnership will generate strategic research collaborations between the two organizations and provide co-op opportunities with MedRhythms to Roux Institute students, thus increasing MedRhythms’ advanced technology and life sciences talent pipeline, as well.
The Roux Institute, based in Portland, Maine, was established in January 2020 through a $100 million investment by David and Barbara Roux. In remarks at the opening of the Institute, Roux stated that “we live in an innovation economy, but we are not participating fully,” and that the Institute will produce “the next generation of talent to participate in the innovation economy and attract and grow dynamic companies in the state.” Illustrating this unmet demand, Georgetown University released a 2019 report which suggested there were millions of artificial intelligence jobs, but only 300,000 people with the expertise necessary to fulfill these positions.
As a premier digital therapeutics company, MedRhythms recognizes the establishment of a graduate school specializing in artificial intelligence and the life sciences to be perfectly aligned with the company’s focus areas. Looking toward 2021, MedRhythms is eager to begin working with Roux Institute graduate students through co-op placements and joint research projects that leverage Northeastern University’s world-class, cutting-edge research capabilities.
“It is essential for a fast-growing company to recruit and retain talented engineers, researchers and scientists, but this has historically been challenging in Maine,” said Brian Bousquet-Smith, MedRhythms’ head of engineering. “The Roux Institute will reinvigorate the state’s talent pool and catalyze growth in the local tech economy. We are especially thrilled that this partnership will allow MedRhythms to expand its recruitment program to involve a top research institution, while at the same time providing their students with meaningful and innovative work experiences.”
By pursuing a co-op opportunity in Portland, students are able to collaborate with a tight knit community of leaders and innovators while enjoying an appealing cultural scene and access to an outdoors lifestyle. MedRhythms is a pioneer within an expanding group of high-growth organizations aligning themselves with the Roux Institute, including IDEXX, MaineHealth, L.L. Bean, and The Jackson Laboratory.
“MedRhythms is an exciting, Maine-based startup that is deeply engaged in translational research at the interface of technology and medicine – this is right in the sweet spot of the research and learning focus we have established at the Roux Institute,” said Mike Pollastri, senior vice provost and academic chair for the Roux Institute. “We’ve been engaged with MedRhythms since the earliest days, and their needs and interests for talent and innovation helped us sharpen our vision; and our faculty are incredibly enthusiastic about the collaborative research opportunities around their core technology approaches.”
