"I dream of medical care in which patients never become patients in the first place"

Artificial intelligence is still one of the top topics when it comes to digitalisation. Simon Koller also focussed on AI in his bachelor's thesis, securing him the DMEA Young Talent Award in the bachelor's thesis category. Together with Bern University Hospital, he developed a machine learning model that analyses muscle signals after electrical brain stimulation. According to Simon, the problem with brain tumour operations is that it is difficult to distinguish between tumour and healthy nerve tissue.

The model can now recognise whether damage has occurred in healthy nerve tissue: "It acts as an early warning system for surgeons during surgery to prevent further damage or even reverse it," says Simon.

After winning the DMEA Young Talent Award, he published the results in a scientific publication together with Inselspital Bern "to make the research accessible to a wider specialist audience." In addition to the DMEA Young Talent Award, he also received the "Prix d'excellence" from the Biel Hospital Centre for his fantastic work, making him a double winner.

From DMEA Young Talent Award to start-up founder?

Even more important than the two awards, however, are all the new contacts and opportunities that have arisen for Simon after the DMEA Young Talent Award: "I found it particularly interesting that a foundation contacted me and showed interest in supporting my work as a start-up. I find this opportunity exciting. It would be a chance to put my research into practice and realise my entrepreneurial ideas at the same time." Simon has not yet decided whether he will accept the offer.

Firstly, he invested the prize money from the DMEA Young Talent Award in a new laptop, which was urgently needed: "When I was training my AI models for my bachelor's thesis, my old laptop regularly got so hot that it almost started to boil. At the time, I was living in a tent on a campsite and the hot laptop was practically my heater overnight." Unfortunately, the new laptop can no longer be used as a heater. The device is specially designed for AI model training and is now helping Simon to optimise the model for his bachelor's thesis and work out further ideas.

Turning a hobby into a profession

Simon originally trained as an orthopaedic technician. In his spare time, he programmed websites or reprogrammed games so that he could always win. He was always particularly interested in the technical aspect of working with electronic orthoses and prosthetic joints, so Simon decided to add a degree in medical informatics: "At the same time, I was treating many people whose illnesses could have been avoided in the first place. I saw the opportunity to use digital solutions to recognise illnesses at an early stage or even prevent them before orthopaedic aids become necessary." This also explains Simon's vision for the future: "In the long term, I dream of improving medical care so that, in the best-case scenario, patients never become patients at all and are not dependent on rehabilitation. That's an ambitious goal, of course, but I believe I can make a difference with the combination of orthopaedic technology and medical informatics."

After graduating, Simon's eventful journey continued - from civilian service as a trail builder to university, where he programmed an exoskeleton to help paralysed people walk again, travelling to India and Argentina and finally back to the OST University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland to further develop the "enhanced Hybrid" exoskeleton.

DMEA Young Talent Award as a springboard

The DMEA Young Talent Award has therefore become a springboard for Simon - it is still unclear how his journey will continue, but Simon recommends that all graduates take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Young Talent Award: "It's worth taking part! Even if you don't win, the DMEA is a great opportunity to meet lots of great people. The atmosphere there is just great every year. It's also worth investing time in a clear and compelling application video that includes all of the jury's assessment criteria. Good preparation increases your chances."

Make a note now: Registration for the DMEA Young Talent Award 2025 starts in October. All information: https://www.dmea.de/en/newcomers/newcomer-award/