Focusing on Practical Innovation at UM

The MIC awarded five fellowships to form the core team that works with Geiger.For example, the team is working on catheter securement. Every patient who comes into the hospital needs to have some kind of catheter, which is secured using extensive amounts of tape or sutures then tape. The methods can lead to discomfort and blistering through lack of hygiene. Accidental detachment can place additional stress on the surrounding tissue and take time away from caregivers. To solve this problem, the team is seeking alternatives to sutures or tape.

More important than the solution to the problem is the approach the team makes. They're changing how to think and explore all aspects of surgery by including video and interviewing tools, for example. Then they bring their observations into brainstorming sessions with business-minded people, engineers, and medical researchers.

The model is one of a device start-up, says Geiger, and it helps bring market savvy to academia.