Breathe Easy Initiative
- Arsheen Sethi — Monroe-Woodbury High School
- Jeevat Sethi — Monroe-Woodbury Middle School
$10,000Presented July 11, 2026 at the ALCSI Summit
2026 Innovation Challenge winners
Ten finalist teams of middle and high school students presented live at the 2026 ALCSI Summit in Boston. Congratulations to every finalist, and to the teams who took home the top awards.
Meet the winners
1,000+Middle and high school students
10Finalist teams
$17,000In prizes for the top three
4Awards presented
From a thousand students to ten finalists
The inaugural ALCSI Lung Cancer Innovation Challenge brought together more than 1,000 students from around the world to build creative projects that raise awareness of lung cancer screening and early detection, with guidance from ALCSI mentors, physicians, researchers, patient advocates, and public health leaders.
Projects were judged on innovation, impact, scalability, cost, and subject knowledge. After finalists presented before a panel of judges, three teams were awarded first, second, and third place, and Summit attendees chose an Audience Favorite.
The winners
Prizes were presented on July 11, 2026 by ALCSI founder Dr. Chi-Fu Jeffrey Yang.
LungFACTS
- Rohan Kundra — Great Valley High School, Pennsylvania
- Neil Thakkar — Downingtown STEM Academy, Pennsylvania
$5,000Presented July 11, 2026 at the ALCSI Summit
Breath of Remembrance
- Ava Villacorta — Senior from Corona, California
$2,000Presented July 11, 2026 at the ALCSI Summit
Audience Favorite Award
Breathe Safe: Radon Exposure Awareness Initiative
- Kavya Shah — Illinois
- Tanya Tanyasri — Illinois
- Srimedha Verrathu — Illinois
Chosen by attendees at the 2026 ALCSI Summit as the inaugural Innovation Challenge Audience Favorite.
The projects
Each winning team turned an idea into something real. Here is what they built.
1st place · $10,000
Breathe Easy Initiative
- Arsheen Sethi — Monroe-Woodbury High School
- Jeevat Sethi — Monroe-Woodbury Middle School
The Breathe Easy Initiative created a comprehensive community outreach program in New York designed to increase awareness of lung cancer screening. The team combined lung cancer education, smoking-history surveys, partnerships with hospitals and nonprofit organizations, and direct engagement with community members to identify individuals who may benefit from screening and connect them with information and resources.
Their approach demonstrated how student-led education and community partnerships can help bring lung cancer screening awareness directly to the people who need it most.
2nd place · $5,000
LungFACTS: Follow-up Analytics and Community Targeting System
- Rohan Kundra — Great Valley High School, Pennsylvania
- Neil Thakkar — Downingtown STEM Academy, Pennsylvania
LungFACTS combines an AI-supported patient navigator with a lung cancer screening tracking system to make the screening process easier to understand and navigate.
Users provide information such as their age and smoking history, and the platform helps them understand whether they may meet current screening eligibility criteria. Rather than stopping at eligibility, LungFACTS also connects users with practical next steps, including screening-center resources, insurance information, and the ALCSI Lung Cancer Screening Hotline.
During its pilot, LungFACTS reached users across the United States, demonstrating the potential for technology to address barriers between screening eligibility and screening completion.
3rd place · $2,000
Breath of Remembrance
- Ava Villacorta — Senior from Corona, California
Breath of Remembrance used art and storytelling to make lung cancer education more personal and accessible. The project invited students to create artwork recognizing public figures affected by lung cancer while incorporating education about lung cancer awareness, risk, and screening.
By connecting creative expression with public health education, Breath of Remembrance demonstrated a distinctive approach to reducing stigma and bringing conversations about lung cancer and early detection to younger audiences and their communities.
Audience Favorite
Breathe Safe: Radon Exposure Awareness Initiative
- Kavya Shah — Illinois
- Tanya Tanyasri — Illinois
- Srimedha Verrathu — Illinois
Selected by attendees at the 2026 ALCSI Summit, Breathe Safe: Radon Exposure Awareness Initiative received the inaugural Innovation Challenge Audience Favorite Award.
The project focused on increasing awareness of radon exposure, an important environmental risk factor for lung cancer, and educating communities about the importance of understanding and reducing potential exposure. Through their initiative, the team brought attention to a frequently overlooked cause of lung cancer while helping make information about radon risk and prevention more accessible.
Their project resonated with Summit attendees for its combination of public health education, environmental awareness, and lung cancer prevention.
Inside the Summit
Presentations, panels, and conversations from the 2026 ALCSI Summit in Boston.
