OMAHA, Nebraska (April 9, 2025)—The next Idea Pub: Morning Edition will be Thursday, April 24, with Jason Johanning, MD, lined up as the featured speaker.
Dr. Johanning is the vascular surgeon and Professor of Surgery at UNMC who invented a device that helps determine patient frailty before a surgery. A common practice among surgeons is to shake hands with patients about to undergo surgery, using grip strength as one indicator to help determine if the patient is healthy enough to withstand the procedure.
Dr. Johanning’s invention began as a way to quantify and standardize the subjective handshake. The invention has since evolved into a robust data gathering device and predictive algorithm, and is the cornerstone technology behind his startup, Automated Assessments.
His brief presentation will be held in the new Catalyst building on the western edge of campus, on Saddle Creek Road. Free coffee and doughnuts will be provided, along with facility tours on a first-come, first-served basis. Free parking will be available along 46th Street.
The event is set for 9-11 a.m. in the event center on the north end of the building.
Dr. Johanning is among UNeMed’s most prolific innovators with 23 inventions, 11th most among active inventors at UNMC. His startup was also named the 2019 Startup of the Year when it was doing business as FutureAssure.
Catalyst is co-sponsoring the event, offering complimentary facility tours.
UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC and UNO, created Morning Edition to help University innovators and entrepreneurs connect and collaborate with colleagues and experts from the venture capital and startup communities.
Morning Edition will also regularly feature “Office Hours” with UNeMed staff and Charlie Cuddy, who co-founded the Nebraska Startup Academy and MOVE Venture Capital. Office Hours creates the opportunity for faculty, students and staff to have one-on-one time with MOVE or UNeMed professionals to discuss new technologies or startup potential.
MOVE is a pre-seed and seed venture capital firm focused on investing in Nebraska technology startup companies. The Nebraska Startup Academy is a mentoring program for startup founders, investors and the local entrepreneurial community with the aim of building Nebraska into “an innovation hub in the Midwest.”
Morning Edition will be held on the final Thursday of every month and will continue to feature guest speakers from the University’s stable of successful and budding startup companies and from Omaha’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The event will provide UNMC and UNO innovators an opportunity to build new partnerships and allies that can help develop their innovative ideas and discoveries into products that help people.
The event is free and open to all, and complimentary coffee and doughnuts will be provided as long as supplies last.
Future planned dates and speakers are:
- May 29: Grasshopper Health
- June 26: Aprendo Cardiovascular Solutions
- July 31: Wearable Algorithms
- Aug. 28: PinkSteady
- Sep. 25: Deep Health Diagnostics
- Oct. 30: UNO NCITE
- Nov. 20: XR Renegades
- Dec. 18: Surgical Simulation Tech
Morning Edition is part of UNeMed’s “Idea Pub,” a suite of entrepreneurial networking events that includes “Innovations & Libations” and “Startup Showcase.”
