Tiffney Tyara Setyoko, a medical student at Universitas Pelita Harapan's Faculty of Medicine, won first place in the national Pemilihan Mahasiswa Berprestasi (Pilmapres – Outstanding Student Selection) programme with her Smart Febrile Patch technology. The device is a non-invasive sweat-based sensor designed to assist in early screening of the severity of infectious diseases characterised by fever.
According to Tiffney, the technology emerged from real-world problems in the community. Fever is one of the early symptoms of various infectious diseases, yet people often lack simple objective parameters to determine when the condition requires further medical attention. Smart Febrile Patch is designed to measure physiological biomarkers that can provide early information about inflammatory response and the body's physiological condition.
"I hope that eventually this technology can help the community make earlier decisions to seek medical care while reducing the risk of delayed treatment and irrational antibiotic use," Tiffney said in a written statement.
Tiffney represented her campus and LLDIKTI Region III after previously winning first place in the regional Pilmapres competition. From hundreds of students who participated in the selection process across 17 LLDIKTI regions, 60 students advanced to the national level and ultimately 19 finalists from various universities were selected. The event was organised by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia.
Prof. Dr. Eka, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at UPH, said Tiffney's achievement reflected a medical education approach that connects knowledge with research, innovation, and real community needs. According to Prof. Dr. Eka, the success reflects the importance of an academic environment that gives students the opportunity to grow beyond the classroom.
