When an oncologist walks into a room wearing the grim expression of someone who is about to deliver a cancer diagnosis, the life of the receiver—and that of their friends and family—is about to change. Rapidly.
There’s a very short time frame from diagnosis to beginning stages of treatment, whether it be chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. And while the immediate focus is combatting the disease that has affected the lives of so many, other health issues that the cancer may impact such as fertility are addressed either at the last minute or not at all.
In fact, research suggests less than 50% of younger cancer patients have conversations with their oncologists about fertility preservation, leading to later regret. Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation, despite the lifesaving power they possess, can contribute to patients’ infertility down the road, adding to the emotional toll of an already traumatic experience.
In 2023, doctoral students Bhakthi Sahgal, Alvaro Rivera, Bridget Kelly and John Russell at the George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health (SPH) pooled together their backgrounds in oncology, reproductive health, product design and medical technology to address this issue for a class research project. Their big idea? To create a means for newly diagnosed cancer patients seeking to preserve their fertility to find accessible, quality fertility services.
In the time since, the team, which Ornsiree Junchaya would join in 2024, took their idea and turned it into a digital health platform called Oncovana that connects patients hoping to one day start a family to cancer centers and fertility clinics in a streamlined way. Their concept aims to ensure that all patients receive education, coordinated care, psycho-social support, financial assistance and connection to timely services regardless of location.
Oncovana won $15,000 of prize money at last spring’s New Venture Competition, including awards for Best Customer Discovery and Best Storytelling. Applications for this year’s NVC, a nationally recognized student startup competition hosted by GW’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, are due at 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 9.
“We’re focused on designing a solution that engages patients at the point of diagnosis to educate them and help alleviate their anxiety,” Russell said. “Our platform helps patients make a shared decision with their oncologists about whether to pursue fertility preservation, connecting them to the right services while still meeting their cancer treatment needs. It’s about addressing that urgency and providing the necessary support.”
During their customer discovery phase, the Oncovana team heard invaluable real-life stories from cancer patients who had to advocate for themselves to get their fertility preservation questions answered or faced an arduous and stressful journey of freezing their eggs or sperm before starting treatment.
“[These stories] highlighted the lack of coordination and the urgent need for a solution that can accommodate the unique needs of cancer patients,” said Junchaya, who founded an incubator for medtech startups in her native Thailand before arriving to GW. “We see ourselves as amplifying the voices of patients and telling their very real stories.”
A social entrepreneurship class at the Milken Institute SPH provided the team frameworks on how to effectively communicate to diverse audiences while helping to make the problem real and relatable.
“We didn’t want to just present a solution for the sake of it; we wanted to show that real people are struggling in this space,” Russell said.
The platform itself has three components. The first is care coordination as the team works to integrate with existing electronic medical record (EMR) systems to flag patients at the point of diagnosis. The second is patient education as they develop AI-assisted resources that can provide personalized information about fertility preservation options. The third, then, is the introduction of live fertility navigators who provide support, answer questions and ensure patients feel guided through their decision-making process.
As the project evolved, Kelly stepped away, and the team—now composed of co-founders Russell (chief executive officer), Sahgal (chief product and innovation officer), Rivera (chief medical officer), and Junchaya (chief strategy officer)—is focused on building their minimum viable product (MVP) and are continuing to conduct research that includes in-depth interviews and observational studies to understand how fertility preservation is currently practiced in clinics. They have also participated in OIE’s I-Corps program to learn more about customer needs, and they’ve used NVC prize money and in-kind support for legal assistance to protect their intellectual property and help with company incorporation.
Even with their academic commitments, their goal is to continue building the Oncovana platform to ultimately bring it to market, acquire clients, and make an impact.
The Oncovana team is grateful for the support and guidance they’ve received from Milken Institute SPH, OIE and GW and believes that innovation is a sound avenue for difference making in the public health field.
"We truly believe that going the entrepreneurial route is a promising alternative, especially when it comes to addressing public health issues,” Junchaya said. “We believe that it's possible to achieve both profit and purpose together.
“The New Venture Competition really allowed us to explore this potential."
