From MIT Hacking Medicine: “Hackathon” is a combination of the words “hack” and “marathon.” A “hack” is a solution to an existing problem that is developed by intense innovative teamwork in a short amount of time, also known as “hacking.” A hackathon is therefore a race to solve challenges against time. Hackathons are commonly associated with programming and computer science but, in health hackathons, not all participants are coders. They come from diverse backgrounds, address pain points in healthcare delivery, and assess business viability as an integral component of their hacks. Our hackathons bring together people members spanning the whole healthcare ecosystem. Our teams usually consist of patients, nurses, doctors, engineers, developers, designers, business people, insurance, and policy experts. Together they attack healthcare challenges using a diverse and interdisciplinary approach.

Source: http://hackingmedicine.mit.edu/about-us/