On November 30, 2023, three dynamic teams of nursing faculty and student researchers took the spotlight at this year’s Nursing Dawg Tank event in the Health Sciences Education Building at the University of Washington School of Nursing. Channeling the energy of the renowned TV show “Shark Tank,” the theme highlighted digital health innovations. The researchers unveiled their groundbreaking ideas before a live audience and faced a panel of interviewers from the healthcare and innovations fields, who eagerly delved into the details, asking questions about their research projects.
This year’s panelists were:
- Les Becker (Alternate for Umair Shah) is the Chief of Innovation and Technology at the Washington State Department of Health.
- Julie A. Kientz is a Professor and Chair of the department of Human Centered Design & Engineering at the University of Washington where she directs the Computing for Healthy Living and Learning Lab.
- Kathleen Sullivan, Senior Director of Strategy, Microsoft Research, Health Futures.
This year’s presenters were:
Alexi Vasbinder, assistant professor in the Department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Informatics presented the CAREFit Pal, a personalized exercise companion in cardio-oncology prehabilitation.
Dr. Weichao Yuwen, associate professor at the School of Nursing & Healthcare Leadership on the UW Tacoma campus adjunct associate professor of Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing, and Priscilla Carmiol Rodriguez, a student in the PhD in Nursing Science at the UW School of Nursing and de Tornyay Center for Health Aging pre-doctoral scholar, presented COCO, an chatbot that combines cutting edge conversational AI technologies, evidence-based therapies, and tailored insights from top care professionals.
Jerusha Nyabiage Mogaka, candidate in PhD in Nursing Science program at the UW School of Nursing, presented mobile health solutions to reduce turnaround time for test results in pregnancy.
At the end of the event, the audience cast their votes to determine the project that would claim the coveted $15,000 prize. The well-deserved winners were Dr. Weichao Yuwen and Priscilla Carmiol Rodriguez for their innovative AI research.
The two other teams also received prizes. Nyabiage Mogaka received a $5,000 prize for her innovation, while Vasbinder was awarded $2,500.
This year’s Nursing Dawg Tank was a night of triumph, cheers, and generous rewards for the trailblazing minds in our nursing community!