'This is my passion project'
For many expectant parents, the countdown to the arrival of a new family member is filled with anticipation. They need to select a name, paint a nursery, stock up on diapers, and prepare for sleepless nights ahead.
Everyone hopes for a smooth and easy delivery, and no one champions that more than Dr. Andrea Shields. Shields is a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UConn Health and the program director for the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship at the School of Medicine. She is working hard to decrease the risks that come with pregnancy and childbirth.
The United States has the No. 1 maternal mortality rate of developed nations in the world. Some 90,000 women in the United States suffer a severe complication, or death, during pregnancy or childbirth. (Connecticut fares better than the average U.S. states due to proximity to care.)
The most common concerns are cardiovascular issues, bleeding, sepsis, and mental-health related crises.
Shields is one of the founders of Varda5 LLC, a health care innovation and consulting company dedicated to improving maternal and emergency care through evidence-based education, simulation, and technology. Varda5's flagship program Obstetric Life Support (OBLS) equips multidisciplinary teams with the skills to effectively manage maternal medical and delivery emergencies. The training program includes a four-hour online course and a one day, in-person session.
"My passion comes from the need to reverse the trends in maternal mortality and improve the quality of life for people who have suffered complications,'' she says. "We understand what we need to do, but when pathways are delayed or not done at all, it can result in devastating consequences. I see myself not only as a physician but also as an advocate for these patients.''
Wolff Competition Welcomes 'Ideas That Deserve a Stage'
Varda5 is one of five UConn-affiliated startups competing in the Wolff New Venture Competition on Oct. 23 in Hartford. Now in its 10th year, the event is hosted by UConn's Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI). The competition will award more than $115,000 in prize money, including $30,000 for the first-place finisher.
The event, considered the School of Business' pinnacle entrepreneurship challenge, is open to the public to attend. Along with the pitch competition, the event will also feature a startup showcase and a prominent keynote speaker.
"I've had the privilege of leading the Wolff Competition for the past five years, and every single year the Wolff family has stepped up its commitment,'' says Alycia Chrosniak, CCEI's assistant director of brand and venture development. "That continued investment not only fuels our startups through a critical time in development but also signals to these founders that their ideas deserve a stage."
Shields says if her business wins the $30,000 Wolff grand prize, it will use the money to hire a fractional CEO, allowing the team to focus exclusively on its maternal awareness program.
Stability of a Family, Wellbeing of a Community
"This is my passion project,'' Shields says. "I recognized the gap in knowledge and I'm trying to solve this problem to make communities more healthy,'' she says. "Keeping a pregnant person healthy is critical to the stability of a family and the wellbeing of a community. Knowing I have a solution, at least in part, I wanted to share it both for the country and around the world.''
Other members of the Varda5 team include: Dr. Jacqueline Vidosh, MD, a board-certified OB/GYN, educator and patient advocate an expert in critical care medicine; Benjamin Sutton, a seasoned emergency preparedness professional with more than 15 years of fire/EMS leadership, military investigations with the Royal Air Force and frontline disaster response; Les Becker, an evaluation and assessment expert with MedStar and an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Georgetown; and program manager Ava Holland, a research assistant at UConn Health.
Caring for a mother-to-be in crisis requires special knowledge that even medical experts in other specialties may not be versed in, because of the complex anatomical and physiological changes in a pregnant woman, Shields says. For instance, CPR can be less effective unless the uterus is repositioned. If an emergency C-section is needed, there is typically only a four-minute window to start, and five-minute timeframe to complete, that procedure. And issues such as hemorrhaging can be harder to detect because the pregnant body can withstand more blood loss before symptoms are detected.
In addition to hospital professionals, Shields wants other frontline medical professionals to participate in the program, including emergency medical responders, birthing center employees, midwives, doulas, and post-partum nurses.
'People are looking for good ideas'
CCEI selected the company to participate in its Summer Fellowship Accelerator this year. The eight-week program provides intensive startup support through mentorship, workshops, pro bono services and $15,000 in non-dilutive funding. Designed to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses, it also coaches them to avoid many of the common pitfalls impacting early-stage startups. The most promising startups move on to the Wolff competition.
Shields says the experience of participating in the Summer Fellowship Accelerator, as well as others geared toward the medical profession, has been inspiring.
"If people have good ideas, they shouldn't be afraid to step into these accelerator programs, which have been so helpful for us. I didn't even know these programs existed when we formed our company,'' Shields says. "An accelerator is an on-ramp to commercialization. People are looking for good ideas. They are a springboard to getting your product, your device, or your idea out there!''
The Wolff New Venture Competition will be held on Oct. 23 at The 1390 at Parkville Market in Hartford from 5 to 9 p.m. The event is free to attend, and all are welcome but pre-registration is required at https://luma/oi5L7nfo. This year's event will showcase 40 previous winners and feature a prominent keynote speaker.
The Wolff New Venture Competition is supported thanks to the generosity of the Wolff Family Fund for Strategic Entrepreneurship, as well as wiggin(x), Fiondella, Milone & LaSaracina LLP, Sardilli Produce and Dairy Co., Prime Materials Recovery Inc., Baystate Financial, Webster Bank, Mark and Jamie Summers, Eric Marziali, Bob and Linda Delisle, Dick and Carol Stewart and Event Resources.
