Student Team Takes Top Honors at Pfizer Hackathon
Second-year MHA student Angela Seo and her Columbia Mailman teammates won first place at the 2026 Pfizer Digital Hackathon in September, besting a field of 350 participants. The team’s winning solution: an app that helps patients using GLP-1 therapy for diabetes or obesity stay the course and address any roadblocks. Another Columbia Mailman team led by Djanaya Esiong took second place in the same hackathon for their multilingual app to help immigrant families with childhood vaccinations.
Seo and her teammates, including Isabella Gartner, Nitya Guduru, Tommy Park, and Shreya Ramesh worked on the project over the summer. “The hackathon was a lot of hard work, but we all learned so much along the way. Of course, it was amazing to come in first,” Seo says. “More than winning, doing this hackathon and other competitions has allowed me to explore different parts of the health system. I love working in teams, and I love thinking about strategy.”
This was the second time in the last 12 months that a Columbia Mailman student took top honors in a high-profile hackathon. In December 2025, Riya Kalra and her team won a NVIDIA hackathon, earning recognition for an app that helps people identify their medications and stick to their treatment plan. Another Columbia Mailman team also recently placed third in the NAHSE case competition.
What motivated you to compete in this hackathon?
Seo: I came to Mailman to challenge myself. I saw an elective for case competitions, and I signed up. It requires you to compete in one competition. I didn’t do well the first time, so I tried again. I put together a team, and we entered a case competition at MD Anderson Cancer Center. This time we came in second. I found out about the Pfizer Hackathon through an alum named Khushi Tyagi [MPH ‘25], who founded the Health Tech student group. She works at Pfizer now. I told our MHA group chat about the hackathon and invited them to join me. In the end, there were enough people for two teams.
How did the competition work?
Seo: We were given a list of problems to work on, like clinical trials and vaccine uptake. We chose GLP-1. Then we brainstormed, created a pitch, filmed it on Zoom, and submitted it. After getting an invitation to the second round, we were paired with a Pfizer mentor and connected with people on the Pfizer team, who were super helpful. I created a survey for providers, and we learned some reasons for discontinuation, including GI symptoms and the cost of the drug. From there, we vibe-coded a patient-facing app that connected to a provider dashboard. It worked. We were one of eight teams invited to the finals at Pfizer headquarters in Hudson Yards. Our team met in person for the first time the night before, and we practiced and practiced. It was nerve-wracking. When they finally announced the winner, we all jumped up. The first thing I did was hug my teammates.
Why did you choose Columbia to study public health?
Seo: I did my senior capstone on AI market access. Many health care systems are trying to figure out how to integrate AI. I learned a lot about what that means for patients and providers, and the importance of governance and ensuring there is no bias in the AI. Looking at master’s programs, I was drawn to Columbia’s strong focus on innovation and entrepreneurship. The health care sector is booming in New York. I want to be in the middle of it.
What’s next for you?
Seo: I applied for several administrative fellowships. I focused on places that are innovative and strategic, growing rapidly, and implementing new technologies. As it happened, I actually got a call from my top choice, Kaiser Permanente, just a few minutes before they announced the winner at the Pfizer hackathon. It was dramatic, and it turned out to be a very good day. Not only did we win the hackathon, but I got invited to a second-round interview. More recently, they offered me the fellowship. After I graduate, I will be moving to Northern California.
Header photo, left to right: Tommy Park, Shreya Ramesh, Isabella Gartner, Angela Seo, Nitya Guduru.