This installment of Penn Today’s 2025 President’s Prize winner roundup highlights two recent Penn graduates who are using their 2025 President’s Innovation Prize of $100,000 to address the growing caregiving gap in senior care.
Nearly a year after graduation, winners of the University of Pennsylvania’s 2025 President’s Innovation Prize, Melanie Herbert and Alexandra Popescu, are addressing a crisis in eldercare through their company Sync Labs. By providing caregivers a privacy-centered system that leverages the power of AI, Sync Labs uses real-time intelligence to create a paperless, centralized dashboard that consolidates resident data across standard systems including electronic health records, caregiver notes, and lab results.
“Sync Labs has been called a gamechanger for caregiving,” says President J. Larry Jameson. “Melanie and Alexandra are helping seniors live with the independence they want and the support they need.”
During an early pilot with Eskaton Assisted Living, caregivers using Sync Labs’ technology reported faster care transitions and less time spent on documentation, allowing them to see more seniors each day while delivering more personalized care. Staff also reported reductions in overtime and fewer resident incidents, including falls and hospitalizations. Eskaton has since expanded its use of the platform, becoming an ongoing partner as the technology is deployed across more staff and residents.
The team’s goal is to give caregivers a complete, real-time picture of each senior—without requiring manual documentation or relying on information passed between shifts.
Why it Matters
Frontline workers spend up to 40% of their time on tasks such as shift handoffs and documentation, and according to industry projections cited by Herbert, by 2029, one caregiver will be responsible for eight seniors, a ratio that will further limit the quality and personalization of care. Sync Labs is designed to allow staff to spend more quality time with their residents, by providing a health data hub that can integrate with electronic health record systems and data from existing sensors.
The Prize
The President’s Innovation Prize is a competitive prize awarded annually to Penn fourth-years that empowers them to design and undertake post-graduation projects that make a positive, lasting difference in the world. The prize includes $50,000 for living expenses for each student recipient, plus up to $100,000 for project implementation expenses.
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