From 51 Doctors to a $50,000 HHS Award: UCLA Senior Olivia Goodreau Uses AI to Fight Lyme Disease

UCLA Senior Leads TickTracker AI Team to Second Place in the HHS TOPx Tech Sprint for Lyme Innovation

DENVER, CO, UNITED STATES, November 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- After visiting 51 doctors over 18 months before receiving a Lyme disease diagnosis at age seven, UCLA senior Olivia Goodreau turned her experience into a mission to help others. That mission has now earned national recognition.

Goodreau and her TickTracker AI team received a $50,000 Second Place Prize in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) TOPx Tech Sprint for AI & Invisible Illness, in the Lyme Innovation category.

The award recognizes their use of artificial intelligence, geospatial technology, and public health data to improve tick identification, exposure awareness, and prevention.

From Patient to Innovator

Olivia’s unexplained childhood symptoms prompted an 18-month search for answers. She was diagnosed with Lyme disease after 51 doctors and later diagnosed with five additional tick-borne diseases after seeing her 54th doctor.

Determined to help other families, Olivia founded the LivLyme Foundation at age 12. The nonprofit assists children affected by Lyme disease, funds research, and advances education and advocacy.

She organizes and hosts the annual LivLyme Scientific Summit, now in its sixth year, bringing together scientists, physicians, researchers, and advocates from around the world to share discoveries and accelerate progress.

Olivia is also the author of "But She Looks Fine: From Illness to Activism," a memoir recounting her journey from childhood illness to advocacy. Her story offers hope to people facing health challenges, reminding readers they are not alone and that adversity can inspire purpose and change.

She co-created TickTracker and LongHaulTracker, digital platforms supporting tick identification, exposure documentation, and symptom tracking. TickTracker has since evolved into TickTracker AI.

“My experience with Lyme disease changed my life, but it also gave me a purpose,” said Olivia Goodreau. “I wanted to create an app that could help others know where ticks are, how to identify them and stay aware of their surroundings. To receive this recognition from HHS is an incredible honor, and I’m so proud of our entire team.”

AI-Powered Prevention

TickTracker AI combines artificial intelligence, federal open data, mapping, and public health information to help people understand potential tick exposure. Its tools are designed to:

 Identify ticks using AI-powered image recognition
 Map geographic exposure risks using environmental and public health data
 Provide educational resources for prevention decisions
 Support research through tick observations and data collection
 Offer free, multilingual access to users worldwide

The platform serves families, outdoor enthusiasts, healthcare professionals, researchers, and public health agencies.

Meet the TickTracker AI Team

The multidisciplinary team combines patient experience with expertise in science, artificial intelligence, data, and digital health:

 Olivia Goodreau — Co-Inventor, TickTracker AI
 Holiday Goodreau — Co-Inventor, TickTracker AI
 Jeff Stauffer — Chief Data Scientist, TickTracker AI
 Aydogan Ozcan, PhD — Scientific Advisor, UCLA Samueli Engineering
 Rajesh Ghosh, PhD — AI & Machine Learning Scientist, UCLA Samueli Engineering
 Artem Goncharov, PhD — AI Integration Scientist, UCLA Samueli Engineering
 Denise Erwin — Vice President of Operations, LivLyme Foundation

Together, they have advanced a patient-inspired app into an AI-powered prevention platform.

HHS Recognizes Lyme Innovation

The HHS TOPx Tech Sprint challenged innovators to develop practical AI solutions for Lyme disease, invisible illnesses, and healthcare costs. HHS announced 40 Phase 2 winners across three categories, awarding more than $3.7 million to teams developing healthcare technologies.

“Olivia’s journey is a powerful example of how personal experience, scientific innovation, and a commitment to public health can come together to create meaningful impact,” said Aydogan Ozcan, PhD, Professor at UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and Scientific Advisor to TickTracker AI. “By integrating artificial intelligence with geospatial and public health data, TickTracker AI has the
potential to make tick identification and exposure risk awareness more accessible, empowering individuals and communities to take proactive steps toward preventing tick-borne diseases. This recognition from HHS is a testament to Olivia’s vision, determination, and the collaborative efforts of our multidisciplinary team.”

A UCLA Senior Advancing Digital Health

An honors student studying public health and entrepreneurship at UCLA, Olivia also works on approaches to earlier Lyme disease detection alongside researchers and innovators, including at UCLA’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science.

“Technology allows us to reach people globally in ways we never could before,” said Olivia Goodreau. “Our goal is to empower families and individuals with information and tools that can help protect them. If we can prevent even one person from going through what I experienced, we’re making a difference.”

The award marks another step toward helping fewer families experience delayed diagnoses and preventable tick exposures.

Denise Erwin
LivLyme Foundation
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