Breastfeeding Exclusive June 2017 - Hospital Infant Bassinet Project Update

Dr. Kristin Tully and Ty Hagler at Innovation Carolina in the Research Triangle Park

Hospital Infant Bassinet project PI Dr. Kristin Tully returned from her maternity leave with her baby Bethany after they personally experienced the stand-alone bassinet on the postnatal unit. They attended the North Carolina State University College of Industrial Design studio course final meeting with Catherine Sullivan, Carl Seashore, Alison Stuebe, and other members of the UNC hospital infant bassinet team. Presentations reflected the capstone of the graduate students’ market research, regulatory assessment, and designs. Studio feedback involved interviews while stakeholders used the prototypes with a maternity bed from NC Women’s Hospital and weighted dolls. The January to May 2017 NC State design phase of the project was also informed by instruction and input from industrial design firm Principal Ty Hagler, along with designer Seth Teeples and others. We thank them, Dr. Sharon Joines of NC State, and each of her students’ for the excellent work. The resulting ten unique infant bassinet designs offered critical innovation components that are now being incorporated into a single new infant bassinet model by the Trig team, with regular feedback from the CGBI investigators.

Dr. Tully and Ty Hagler also convened at the Innovate Carolina Conference in April 2017. They met with patent attorneys and entrepreneurs. Kristin, Ty, and Andy Kant of the North Carolina Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute continue to work closely together on the Improving Human Health Award (IHHAR41602) and with the UNC Office of Commercialization and Economic Development, as well as the Gillings School of Global Public Health, to appropriately move forward through the design phase and on clinical testing and commercialization.

As mentioned above, the CGBI online survey into Maternity Care Experiences and Hospital Infant Bassinets had a large response. We are grateful for participants’ time and their willingness to share their thoughts on ways enhance maternal-newborn care. Gift cards were distributed to five randomly-selected participants in May 2017. Dr. Tully is leading analyses of the data and the CGBI team has submitted an abstract for consideration at a national conference. If you are interested in more information about the hospital infant bassinet project, please contact Kristin at Kristin.Tully@unc.edu