On January 27, the CFE hosted a virtual version of the Trends in Tech Talk series with guest speaker Dr. Elyse Kemmerer White, Chief Science Officer at NeuroPeak Pro, formerly Neurocore. Dr. White earned a degree in neuroscience from Lehigh University and then later her PhD in neuroscience from the University of Michigan. She had continuously sought research opportunities during her studies and ultimately found training on innovation from the Fast Forward Medical Innovation (FFMI) program at U-M. This was a pivotal experience in her career. She and a compelling team of technical co-founders, Adrienne Harris and Steven White, used the time with FFMI to investigate a series of challenges with patients and healthcare professionals and developed the concept for a novel intravenous catheter to improve infusion therapy. They formed the company Tangent Medical Technologies, which quickly succeeded in commercializing the class II medical device. Tangent was later acquired by ICU Medical.
“The experience with FFMI really solidified the concept that entrepreneurship can be systematic. We applied that methodology to seeking a problem that we could actually solve, then lean into the execution, and the result was the success of Tangent Medical Technologies,” shared Dr. White.
She then leveraged this experience to join the Neurocore team, a burgeoning startup in the field of applied neuroscience. Dr. White was brought in to lend scientific expertise as well as entrepreneurial perspective to the young company. During the talk, Dr. White discussed how this emerging market is powered by the combination of advancements in interface technologies and the massive amount of data streams that are related to biological information.
“We are wearing apple watches, earpods, fitness trackers and all of these devices are collecting data streams related to biological signals. Heart rate, neurological data, and other information can be analyzed with new AI and machine learning methods to increase health and even physical performance,” stated Dr. White.
This is a growing field that is now seeing market traction with many different consumer bases from professional athletes, to those with chronic health challenges, and people who wish to improve or maintain their general health. According to Dr. White, there is need in the applied neuroscience realm for expertise from nearly every academic program offered at U-M. Students interested in a career in consumer products, health-tech, and IoT should definitely seek opportunities in this exciting field.
Please visit https://cfe.umich.edu/ecosystem-convening/ for more information about upcoming events.