PAWKET VET WINS THE CAPITAL CUP Meghan Brewer ’22 and her Pawket Vet app lets pet owners check in virtually with a vet to see if an in-office visit is needed, or if the necessary treatment can be obtained over the counter, or with time and TLC. She won the Capital District regional semifinals of the New York Business Plan Competition at the University at Albany. Brewer, who received a $1,500 check for her Capital Cup victory, was previously a Siena Spark Tank winner in fall 2020. Her family’s pets were the inspiration for her invention. “I’m really passionate about animals and wanted to create a product that reflects that passion,” she said. “Pawket Vet is a service that lets people do a quick check-in from home so they can get a simple answer from a real vet about their pet’s care, without necessarily having to go into the office for an appointment.” The 2022 NYBPC features regional competitions in 10 different zones throughout New York state. There are six different product tracks at regionals, and the winners of those six tracks at the Capital District event compete for the Capital Cup.
Brewer with Antonio Civitella ’91, president and CEO of Transfinder and Mike Hickey ’83, executive director of Siena’s Stack Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
HOTSPOTTING FOR THE SUPER-UTILIZERS Hotspotting is a health care method aimed at reducing costs while improving patient health and experience. It works by identifying “super-utilizers” (those with frequent hospital visits or admissions), and provides hands-on, individualized interventions for patients with complex social and health care needs. To examine how hotspotting works and strengthen the understanding of how interdisciplinary care is important to patient outcomes, Siena developed its first ever complex care team this academic year, comprised of six students: two each from nursing, health studies and social work. The idea was introduced to Siena by Jenna Thate, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing and department chair. Zoey Hall ’22 and Liz Wolaver ‘22 represented nursing; Nicole Potenza ’23 and Jacob Schoff ’23 represented social work; and Brady Olsen ’22 and Amy Peguillan ’22 represented health studies.
Elisa Martin, Ph.D., associate professor of social work and department chair, and Daniel White, Ph.D., director of health professions/health studies, helped Thate co-direct the team and noted that the high-impact experience was done on top of the students’ regular for-credit studies. “These are students who are very invested in their own learning,” said Martin. “Siena’s team is also one of the few in the country made up entirely of undergrads; most of the other teams have mostly graduate students.”
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