Episode Details:
What you’ll get out of this episode
Tim sat down with Carla Bond, Founder and CEO of UpSkill VR, to discuss the transformative role that virtual reality is playing in emergency training. Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) kills 1 person every 2 minutes in the United States, and 70% of SCAs happen at home. But did you know your chance of survival increases 45% when CPR is administered promptly?! UpSkill VR uses VR to help students, EMTs, and communities prepare for emergency situations, rooted in Carla’s own personal experience. She shares her personal experience as an EMT, including a story where she arrived at a call and found an infant in need of help and the surprising realization that led Carla to founding the company. We dive into the details of her journey as an entrepreneur, her target market, ideal partners and end users, and what’s next for UpSkill beyond CPR. Here are some of the key takeaways from the episode:
In this episode you’ll discover:
- Why Carla and UpSkill VR are on a mission to improve the ways emergency training is delivered using virtual reality, and how they create more immersive and realistic scenarios for trainees to practice in a safe environment.
- Carla’s personal story as an EMT and how that experience shaped the UpSkill mission.
- We discuss the potential of VR to help bridge the gap in healthcare education and training and improve patient outcomes.
- Carla talks about the importance of partnerships in growing UpSkill VR and how they are working with different organizations to expand their reach.
- We also chat about Carla’s experience as a Navy veteran, the challenges she faced transitioning to civilian life, and the importance of having a support system within the veteran community.
- Finally, we explore the exciting developments on the horizon for UpSkill VR beyond CPR training, including the potential to expand into other areas such as public health and safety.
Final Frontier – 5 Questions in 50 Seconds
- Top Challenges: Exposure, VR hardware prices, content availability
- Top Opportunity: Personalization
- Tech Trend You’re Following: Realism – game art and design
- Top Media Recs:
- Healthcare / Tech Leader(s) You’re Following:
- Ryan Ribeira, CEO at SimX (LinkedIn →)
- Tim Cook, CEO at Apple
Watch
Listen
Recommended Resources
- NIST, Commerce Launch Emergency Response Training Center with Virtual Reality (NextGov)
- Emergency Medicine VR (Booz Allen)
- See What Richie’s Plank Game Looks Like (Playstation VR)
Join the Conversation
Are you a healthcare innovator? Tell us what topics and people you’d like us to cover in future episodes:
“Upskill VR is excited to be pitching this year at the annual DC Startup Week Early-Stage Pitch Competition next week on Friday, September 16th at Convene sponsored by Sands Capital!! DC Startup Week is the largest event in the DC area for entrepreneurs and startups! 🎉.” Carla Bond on LinkedIn
“Meet the winners of DC Startup Week’s annual pitch competition! Ten finalists competed at DC Startup Week’s closing event, split between early- and growth-stage groups. Here are the winners.” Read the full article on Technical.ly (September, 2022)
About Your Host
Tim Fitzpatrick is the CEO of IKONA Health, a company using neurobiology and immersive technology to improve how patients learn about their care and treatment options. Tim co-founded IKONA based on his own patient experiences while serving in the US Navy and now in the VA health system. He has served as Principal Investigator on multiple federal research grants, has co-authored papers on learning science, VR, and mental health in the age of COVID-19, and has partnered with top healthcare investors and institutions including the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, National Artificial Intelligence Institute, StartUp Health, On Deck, FundRx, MATTER and NVIDIA.
Sponsored by: IKONA Health
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