Shark Tank presentation… Health care innovation flourishes at ETSU pharmacy school 

Published 11:20 am Thursday, June 4, 2020

CONTRIBUTED BY ETSU
JOHNSON CITY – Budding pharmacy entrepreneurs at East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton
College of Pharmacy displayed their business savvy during the annual “Shark Tank” event, the college’s
version of the popular reality show.

The students were challenged to develop business plans that addressed health care gaps in the
community, region, or nation with viable interventions spanning clinical and technological mediums.

Each student group presented to live “sharks,” business owners, health care administrators, or related experts who
serve as volunteer judges seeking to encourage highly engaged, business-ready professionals to make an impact
on a community.

The competition was led by Drs. Jeff Gray and Jim Thigpen, associate professors of Pharmacy
Practice, and conducted over Zoom to maintain social distancing due to COVID-19.

The winning business idea, “MedGuardian,” seeks to help combat the opioid epidemic and reduce
opioid-related health care costs through a smart dose dispenser.

The product is a locked, tamper-proof smart vial with a fingerprint scanner which dispenses the prescribed

dosage to the right person at the right time, thus reducing the chance for accidents, diversion, or misuse.

Other ideas among the eight teams included “BabyRx,” providing parents with evidence-based
information to make informed decisions about their health and medication use for themselves and their children,
and “WOW (Women on Wheels),” providing patient-centered care to women through education and health
screenings that are readily accessible and cost-effective.

Judges included Alan Corley, DPh, President of Corley’s Pharmacy Group; Stephen M. Darden,
managing partner at Hunter, Smith & Davis; Jill McGonigle, director of corporate communications at Crown
Laboratories; Chris Miller, COO for Ballad Health Greene County; and Cindy Thomas, DO, MPH, assistant
health officer for the Northeast Regional Health Office for the Tennessee Department of Health.