OHIO recognizes three 2020 Konneker Medal recipients

Two alumni and one former faculty member have been awarded the Konneker Medal for Commercialization and Entrepreneurship. Amanda Epp ‘07, Alan Schaaf ’10, and Lawrence Lynn were selected for the 2020 recognition.

The Ohio University Foundation established the Konneker Medal for Commercialization and Entrepreneurship to recognize current and former faculty members or students who have demonstrated excellence in innovation, invention, commercialization and entrepreneurship. The award is named in honor of Wilfred Konneker, an OHIO alumnus with a distinguished record in research and entrepreneurship. The maximum number of allowed awardees per year is three and has not been met before this year. 

Lynn, D.O., is a former clinical faculty member of the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, starting in 1988. During his time at OHIO, he was well-respected with his patients, students, interns and residents. He provided clinical mentorship and research opportunities for students. Lynn continues to support OHIO by presenting to students in the Heritage College and College of Health Sciences and Professions at the Dublin campus regarding his groundbreaking research on sepsis. 

Lynn is a prolific inventor of successful medical devices and patient monitoring systems, and has filed over 100 patents, with almost 80 issued in the United States. His discoveries in sepsis research led to the development of data systems that show a number of different patterns of sepsis, allowing for better health outcomes. His patented tool, PatientStormTracker, detects dynamic transitions in sepsis using device and data analytics. Lynn is founder and president of Lyntek Medical Technologies, Inc., based in Columbus, Ohio, which is focused on developing new and improved medical technologies.

“I am honored to receive the Konneker Medal. Throughout the years, I have had the opportunity to mentor many medical students from Ohio University. It has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life watching them mature into excellent clinicians, leaders and scientists,” Lynn said. 

Epp, a 2007 recipient of a bachelor’s degree in health services administration, worked as the first outside hire at CoverMyMeds, a successful healthcare information technology company. Following the acquisition of CoverMyMeds by McKesson in 2017, Epp was a founding team member with ScriptDrop and the company’s first paid employee. She has since advanced from being vice president of pharmaceutical sales to president and CEO of ScriptDrop, which is on a rapid growth trajectory. During the pandemic, Epp has committed ScriptDrop to providing patient-centric medication access. 

Epp also is one of two co-founders of Go Get the World, a non-profit that embraces, encourages and empowers women who are working on their dreams. Epp had the vision of Go Get the World in high school and made it a reality in 2018, focusing on helping young women to achieve their goals. 

“It is so special and humbling to be recognized by my alma mater. It is because of what I learned at Ohio University that I would even be considered for this honor. OHIO is magical. It is a lot like the startups in which I have been a part — with the same dedication to innovation and excitement for making the world a better place,” Epp said. “After leaving Athens, it took a while to find that magic again, and what I learned is we have to create it for ourselves and those around us. Thank you again for this very special award.”

Schaaf, a 2010 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, developed, founded and launched imgur.com in 2009 while still a student at OHIO, with support from the Ohio University Innovation Center. 

Imgur is an online image sharing platform and a community entertainment destination, now reaching 300 million people across the globe. The site ranks among the top 50 Internet properties in the United States and top 100 in the world. Schaaf has remained the founder and CEO of the company since the beginning. Imgur currently employs about 100 people, including many OHIO graduates. 

Imgur has received many accolades, including Best Bootstrapped Business by TechCrunch in 2012 and 2014, and winner of the Webby Award for Best Social Media. The platform achieved 900 billion image views in 2015 alone. 

Schaaf has also received many awards and accolades, including named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for four consecutive years (2013-2016) and to the San Francisco 40 Under 40 Class of 2017. Schaaf also was previously recognized with an OHIO Alumni Award, the Charles J. and Claire O. Ping Recent Graduate Award, in 2015.

“I’m extremely proud and honored to have received this award,” Schaaf said. “Ohio University and the support I receive from everyone there has been integral to Imgur’s early success. I’m extremely grateful to have had OHIO behind me every step of the way, and the honor of the Konneker Award is yet another way that OHIO continues to show its support. I couldn’t be prouder of what I’ve been able to achieve with OHIO’s help.”

While normally awarded during the Inventors Dinner, this year’s Konneker Medal recipients will be recognized in person when it is safe to do so. 

“The individuals recognized with the 2020 Medals exemplify Ohio University’s ambitions, manifested in a previous generation by Will Konneker, to put knowledge to work for the benefit of humanity,” said Joseph Shields, vice president for research and creative activity and dean of the Graduate College. “We are immensely proud of their achievements, and celebrate these awardees as role models for our current students and faculty.”

Learn more about the Konneker Medal and past recipients.