By Ryan Clark
CHS Communications Director

Two in the College of Health Sciences family have been selected to participate in a Launch Blue cohort to market a realistic artificial skin model to use in enhancing procedural skills.

DeShana Collett, PhD, PA-C, professor in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies, and Samuel Powdrill, MPHIL, PA-C, professor and Professor Emeritus in Physician Assistant Studies, were selected to participate in the 12-week UAccel program. Thirteen technologies from Kentucky universities make up Launch Blue's Fall 2021 UAccel University Technology Commercialization Focused Cohort. 

UAccel is a Launch Blue cohort organized in partnership with the University of Kentucky Office of Technology Commercialization and Kentucky Commercialization Ventures. The program is designed to offer professional development and an experiential learning opportunity to innovators in higher education interested in learning the best commercialization path for their technology. The goal of the program is to advance the technology toward commercialization, including preparations for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant applications, the creation of a startup, or licensing of the technology.

"Sam and I have developed and patented a realistic artificial skin model to use in enhancing procedural skills such as suturing, I&D abscess, IV insertion, etc.," Collett said. "We have currently used this in procedure courses as well as in CME workshops. The LaunchBlue UAccel program takes our product to the next level — moving towards marketing and commercialization."

The MedSkin artificial skin was created to address the problem with the lack of realistic, anatomically accurate low-fidelity task medical trainers that are also multifunctional, durable, portable, and reusable.

Candidates were selected through a competitive application and interview process. The final selections for the cohort were determined by a selection committee appointed by the organizing partners. Applications for the Spring 2022 UAccel cohort will open in November 2021.

For more information, visit the Launch Blue website.