King Khalid University Student, Ashraf Al-Shahrani, won an award in his category at the World's largest Health Hackathon titled 'Reimagining Healthcare in Saudi Arabia'. The award was based on his work in the 'Assistive Technologies and Reimagining Aging'. The three-day hackathon is a highly respected event in which participants from all over the world compete for prizes and recognition for their ideas to enhance the level of healthcare in the Kingdom. Organized by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) with support from the Badir Program for Technology Incubators and Accelerators, and in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the hackathon was designed to instill the culture of creativity and innovation in the field of digital health among Saudi youth. There were more than 1,000 entrants in this year's competition hosted by KACST President, HRH Dr. Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al-Saud, and His Excellency Minister of Health, Dr. Tawfig Fawzan Al-Rabiah, at Princess Noura University in Riyadh.

Al-Shahrani placed and won an award in his category for his design of an application called 'Lyxar'. Lyxar is a comprehensive mobile application that can be used for early diagnosis and treatment of those who do have or may have dyslexia. Dyslexia is a fairly common disease that manifests in early childhood and is often difficult to diagnose. The application is used to diagnose and treat dyslexia by way of games. The software is designed to indicate whether the user either has or may be prone to developing dyslexia. The application is based on the best medical evidence indicating the presence of dyslexia. The app comes complete with recommendations for centers that specialize in the treatment of dyslexia and contact information for consulting physicians who treat and/or research the learning disorder.

Faculty of Pharmacy Dean, Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Saeiri, congratulated Al-Shahrani for his magnificent achievement at the Reimagining Healthcare in Saudi Arabia Health Hackathon. 'Al-Shahrani's prize-winning effort is especially notable given the large number of highly qualified contestants participating in the hackathon. This reflects the high level of ability and hard work associated with the development of this application and the talents of the students at King Khalid University', he said. The dean also expressed his gratitude to the university rector for his continual and generous support of the students pursuing academic excellence in all fields.