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Center for Health Innovation is pleased to announce the awardees of the 13^th Annual Innovation Pilot Awards. Proposals were sought from across UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine faculty and employees for innovations across a spectrum of areas including care delivery, workforce development, new technology, advanced analytics, and more.

Four projects were selected from the many applications received. The selected proposals demonstrated dedication to improving care for our patients and strengthening our health care system and meeting the mission of the UNC Center for Health Innovation.

The selected teams include:

Artificial Intelligence Enhanced Electrocardiography for Identifying and Addressing Premature Cardiac Aging

PI:  Faisal Syed BSc (Hons), MBChB (Division of Cardiology)

Cardiac proteins released into the blood as novel biomarkers of NSTEMI in the Emergency Department

PI:  Ming Ding ScD, MBBS (Department of Emergency Medicine)

Co-PI:  Jessica Zegre-Hemsey PhD, RN (School of Nursing)

Co-PI:  Michelle Meyer PhD (Department of Emergency Medicine)

Improving hospitalization experience for patient with Parkinson’s disease at UNC Health

PI: Nina Browner, MD (Department of Neurology)

Piloting the Use of Advanced AI for Physical Therapy Treatment

PI:  Rachelle Alpern MBA, MHA (UNC Health Advanced Care at Home)

Co-PI: Brian Trabulsi MPT, COMT (UNC Health Therapy Services)

Co-PI: Dierdra Ricks (UNC Health Acute Care and Hospital Based Outpatient Services)

Co-PI: Janet Prvu Bettger, ScD, MSc, FAHA (UNC Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)

“Innovation is a driving force that shapes the future of healthcare, pushing us to reimagine what’s possible for our patients and communities,” said Lesley Hall, Director of UNC Health Enterprises. “The Innovation Pilot Awards exemplify this spirit by providing a launchpad for bold ideas that can lead to meaningful change. These projects not only spark new approaches to care but also accelerate our commitment to advancing medical research and improving outcomes. I commend all of this year’s applicants for their creativity and courage, and I look forward to the transformative impact the 2025 winning projects will bring.”

Descriptions of the selected applications from this and previous years can be found online.

We are very grateful to all of the 2025 applicants for their interest and dedication, and to the volunteer Innovation Pilot Award Review Committee.  Congratulations to the 2025 award recipients!

Established by UNC Health Care and the UNC School of Medicine, the Center for Health Innovation initiates, evaluates and supports the adoption of disruptive, patient-centered innovations in the delivery and financing of health care. The Center strives to provide rapid assessment, coordinated facilitation, program management, partnership development and funding for innovation. To learn more about the Center, visit www.med.unc.edu/innovation.

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Dr. Mazur is a Professor of Radiation Oncology and Information & Library Science and Director of the Division of Healthcare Engineering at UNC Chapel Hill. His 2022 Innovation Pilot Award’s objective was to assess the impact of an immersive VR-based educational intervention on improving surgeons’ safety behaviors and their understanding of training concepts. The research involved a mixed methods approach, observing safety behaviors of 83 surgeons using the Teamwork Evaluation of Non-Technical Skills (TENTS) instrument. The VR intervention included a 45-minute immersive training session based on TeamSTEPPS principles, followed by debriefing sessions.

Findings indicated that the VR heightened participants’ awareness of how fatigue, dismissive communication, and team dynamics impact psychological safety in the operating room. By simulating real-world scenarios, it demonstrated how exhaustion and distractions compromise decision-making, how seemingly minor quips or sarcasm can erode team cohesion, and how validating trainee concerns fosters a culture of safety and respect. This reinforced the importance of clear, professional communication and proactive leadership in creating a supportive and effective surgical intervention.

The results were promising, with the VR-trained surgeons showing statistically significant improvements in 90% of the safety behaviors compared to those who did not undergo the intervention. These behavioral changes were attributed to the immersive experience and enhanced understanding of teamwork and communication concepts.

Dr. Mazur’s study underscores the potential of VR in healthcare education, demonstrating its effectiveness in fostering a culture of patient safety. While the findings are encouraging, further research with larger sample sizes is necessary to confirm the generalizability of these results.

Read the full article here.

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Rachini Moosavi, UNC Health Chief Analytics Officer

Becker’s Health IT recently investigated how UNC Health is advancing thoughtful use of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve clinical practice and operational efficiency. The health system is now implementing AI technology to enhance workflows across the enterprise. Chief Analytics Officer Rachini Moosavi emphasized the partnership between people and technology, focusing on redesigning processes rather than maintaining traditional methods.

Key points from the article include:

• Strategic AI Solutions: Practical AI solutions are aligned with the health system’s strategic goals for the next few years.
• Gartner’s BOAT Concepts: The health system is incorporating Gartner’s business orchestration automation technologies to dive deeper into automation.
• 2025 Focus: The focus for 2025 includes “intelligent optimization and automation,” aiming to eliminate unnecessary processes and augment or automate where possible.
• Staff Empowerment: Emphasis on reducing staff burden and enhancing human-centric tasks, allowing staff to focus on work that requires human skills while automating simpler tasks.
• Collaborative Approach: Leadership involves staff in the redesign process to ensure effective implementation and gain buy-in, addressing any trepidation around AI and automation.

Ms. Moosavi acknowledged the rapid pace of change as a challenge but highlighted the excitement around building sustainable and future-proofed organizations. By involving team members in decision-making, UNC Health aims to create a technology-enabled workflow that benefits both staff and patients.

For more information, read the article on Becker’s Health IT or listen to the full interview of Ms. Moosavi at Becker’s Hospital Review.

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The study was published in the Journal of Neurosurgical Anesthesiology, Oct 2024 (Vol 36.  Issue 4). It investigates the application of advanced AI technologies to improve decision-making and efficiency in neuroanesthesiology clinical scenarios.   The lead investigator is Dr. Samuel N. Blacker, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and former Physician Innovator at UNC Health Enterprises.  Among the co-authors, were three UNC Health Enterprises teammates: Carol Lewis, Michael Zimmer, and Brad Wilson.

The study tested the ability of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot, to answer questions relevant to scenarios covered in three clinical guidelines published by the Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care (SNACC).

Four neuroanesthesiologists independently assessed whether ChatGPT could apply 52 high-quality recommendations (HQRs) included in the three SNACC guidelines. HQRs were deemed present in the ChatGPT responses if noted by at least three of the four reviewers. Reviewers also identified incorrect references, potentially harmful recommendations, and whether ChatGPT cited the SNACC guidelines.

The study concluded that ChatGPT should not currently be considered a reliable source of information for clinical decision-making. Future iterations of ChatGPT may refine algorithms to improve its reliability as a source of clinical information.

The full article can be found at online here.

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Five projects were selected from the many applications received. The selected proposals demonstrated clear dedication to improving care for our patients and strengthening our health care system and meeting the mission of the UNC Center for Health Innovation.

The selected teams include:

A pilot feasibility study of a small group professional coaching intervention to decrease burnout and improve well-being among UNC Health physicians

PI:  Katherine Chan, MD, MPH (Department of Urology)

A Specialized Feeding Clinic for Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Partnership Between the UNC Pediatric Feeding Team and the UNC TEACCH© Autism Program

PI:  Krisi Brackett, PhD, CCC-SLP, C/NDT  (Rehab Services- UNC Feeding Team)
Co-PI:  Carmen Caruthers, PhD, BCBA (Psychiatry-TEACCH)

Active Identification and Dedicated Outpatient Treatment for Recurrent C. difficile Infection

PI:   Thomas Holowka, MD, PhD (Division of Infectious Diseases)
Co-PI:  Luther A. Bartelt, MD (Division of Infectious Diseases)

Applications of clinical microbial whole genome sequencing

PI:  Tessa M. Andermann, MD, MPH (Division of Infectious Diseases)
Co-PI:  David van Duin, MD, PhD (Division of Infectious Diseases)
Collaborators: Kevin Alby, PhD (McLendon Labs) Sarah Rutstein, MD, PhD (Division of Infectious Diseases)

INSIGHT (Intelligent, Safe, In-home Gravity Halo Traction),

PI:  Sean Zeller, MBA, MSPO, CPO (Orthopedics / Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)
Co-PI:  Gregory Buckner, MSME, PhD (Biomedical Engineering UNC/ NCSU)

“We are incredibly grateful to every applicant who took their time to submit a proposal for this year’s Awards,” said Lesley Hall, Director of UNC Health Enterprises.  “The selection process was exceptionally challenging due to the number and extraordinary quality of submissions we received. We saw many great applications that aimed to tackle a broad range of important health care challenges.  The strength of the applicant pool demonstrates that UNC Health is leading the way when it comes to generating ideas for disruptive innovation within healthcare.”

Descriptions of the selected applications from this and previous years can be found online.

We are very grateful to all of the 2024 applicants for their interest and dedication, and to the volunteer Innovation Pilot Award Review Committee.  Congratulations to the 2024 award recipients!

Established by UNC Health Care and the UNC School of Medicine, the Center for Health Innovation initiates, evaluates and supports the adoption of disruptive, patient-centered innovations in the delivery and financing of health care. The Center strives to provide rapid assessment, coordinated facilitation, program management, partnership development and funding for innovation. To learn more about the Center, visit www.med.unc.edu/innovation.

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