Page 28 - 2023 Westchester County Economic Development Guide

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WESTCHESTER COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE
Cultivating and Advancing Talent CatchU
Preventing Falls Before They Happen
e novel app-based assessment tool CatchU® is on a mission to address a public health crisis impacting older adults.
Due to the serious risks that falls pose to older adults, the CDC recommends an annual
risk screening to help prevent falls. Typically, however, screenings are underutilized and not routinely integrated into seniors’ overall healthcare. is public health crisis led Jeannette R. Mahoney, PhD, a graduate of the Westchester County Biosciences Accelerator, to create an innovative solution to address this significant problem.
Tell us about your background.
I am a neuroscientist with over 15 years of multisensory integration and aging research experience, and the founder of JET Worldwide Enterprises Inc. - a digital health startup company spun out of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Research conducted in the department of Neurology has helped advance development of our novel digital health fall risk assessment called CatchU® [... Before you fall].
Tell us about CatchU.
CatchU® is a 10-minute, app-based assessment that can be conducted remotely on an iPhone 7 or newer,
and on Android devices, with results and personalized recommendations adapted from the CDC STEADI program being transmitted electronically to
the patient’s healthcare provider. Offering CatchU reaction time based multisensory assessments with tailored recommendations that take into account self-reported medical history will aid in
the identification of fall risk and help older adults maintain their independence.
What was the inspiration for creating it?
Well, I have always been interested in clinical-translational research and the first way to target larger clinical audiences is to get your research out of the lab and into the clinic. Two very important women in my life inspired the creation and implementation of CatchU.
My colleague and friend Dr. Claudene J. George, a geriatrician at Montefiore Medical Center, Division of Geriatrics is the one who came into my office a–er hearing my lab presentation and said “Jeannette, it would be great if I could use this test on my iPhone so that I can evaluate my patients in the office.” A–er reflecting on Dr. George’s request, I thought about how it could help many people including my grandmother, Jean Sisinni who had recently fallen at that
time. I dedicated CatchU in memory of her never-ending love, strength, support, guidance, and selflessness.
How has being based in Westchester positively impacted the development of CatchU?
›e benefits are seemingly endless. ›rough the Westchester County Biosciences Accelerator, we have been connected with many influential people and businesses, both small and large, which has led to exploration of potential partnerships and collaborations. Additionally,
the Business Council of Westchester and Westchester Innovation Network (WIN) program have been so incredibly supportive. We recently were the beneficiary of the top award at the WIN Showcase event. As part of the WIN program we were matched with Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and have recently launched our randomized clinical trial with invaluable assistance and support from their Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mooyeon Oh-Park.
What’s next for CatchU?
2023 will be a very busy year for us. We just launched an Android-based CatchU App (available on Google Play) as
a follow up to our iOS CatchU App. We plan to continue our sales and marketing campaign by reaching out to geriatricians and assisted living communities. We also plan to engage in some strategic partnerships that will allow us to expand our business model.
Facts About Falling
• 3 million older Americans require an emergency room visit every year because of fall-related injuries.
• Over $50 billion is spent annually in the United States on non-fatal and fatal falls combined.
• Veterans’ risk of falls are higher than those of non-veterans • 30% of Americans over the age of 65 experience a
fall annually. Source: CDC
© Courtesy of CatchU