Leadership Team

  • Talking About Ear Tubes with Dr. Michael Novak

    Eight out of 10 children will have a middle ear infection, but what if your child seems to have them more than what you think is normal? What if your child seems to have difficulty hearing, and complains about “water in the ear” when there doesn’t seem to be a reason for it? When this happens, it may be time to seek help by calling your primary care doctor, who may refer you to an ENT specialist, for the best next steps for your child’s ear health. 

    For some children, the next best step in managing your child’s ear health is the placement of tubes within the eardrum, also known as tympanostomy tubes. About 700,000 children each year have ear tubes surgically placed t, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Ear tubes typically cost around $2-5,000, most of which is usually covered by insurance. The surgery does carry some risk, partly because the child will be put under general anesthesia. 

    We sat down with Dr. Michael Novak, an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor from Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois, to chat more about ear tubes and specifically why the fall and winter months are a common time for placement of ear tubes.

    What are the common reasons for tube placement in children?
    Tubes are generally placed in children to treat frequent infections (4 or more over a 6 month period) or persistent fluid in the middle ear (fluid that stays in the ear for at least 3 months).

    If a child is a candidate for this type of surgery, why are the fall and winter months the most common time for tube placement?
    The most common times for tube placement are late fall and early winter since the infections and fluid typically are caused by colds and flu. It may take 3 months or more to determine that a child is prone to ear infections and would benefit from tubes. The pattern of frequent infections tends to start in the late summer or early fall when kids get back into school and start sharing viruses, and we are indoors where colds can be communicated more easily. 

    Is there immediate relief for the child after the tubes are placed?
    Yes, the relief of the infection and removal of fluid gives immediate relief from pain and hearing loss. The improvement continues over 2-3 days as the ear returns to normal.

    What are the general instructions and follow-up care for ear tubes?
    I tell my patients to where ear plugs when they are swimming in lakes and rivers where   the water is not as clean as the swimming pool or shower. Otherwise, there are no special precautions necessary for the great majority of children. If drainage from the ear develops, it is treated with topical antibiotic and corticosteroid drops, and usually clears up quickly.

    Thank you Dr. Mike for the fantastic insight regarding ear tubes – paying attention to the frequency and time of year of ear problems are key to a successful outcome!  

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  • PhotoniCare in the Land of the Rising Sun

    By Ryan Shelton, CEO and co-founder

    Some of you may have seen the press release that PhotoniCare has entered a distribution agreement to bring our middle ear imaging device to the Japanese market. I’ve since had some questions about this, given that we are still an early stage company that has yet to launch our product in the U.S. market. There are a couple of reasons we chose to enter into a partnership in Japan at this stage. I thought I’d share some of my thoughts here.

    First, Japan is a strong medical device market. Although potentially more difficult to navigate than many EU markets, if you have the right partners it is a pro-technology market that highly values improved patient care. Furthermore, with regard to ear infections, the front-line defense is often the ENT specialist, not primary care. This changes the care pathway and market dynamics a bit, resulting in a large patient volume with acute diagnostic needs on the doorstep of specialist physicians. As a result, a technology like ours can be a very attractive solution to a call point that is more concentrated and approachable than other front-line care markets.

    Second, we simply found a great partner. I have been very protective of our resources (both human and financial), and very careful not to spread us too thin. I think diluting focus during initial market launch is a cardinal sin in the world of startups, and especially in healthcare. As we all know, it is difficult to successfully market products or services in the healthcare space, and if you want to succeed, I believe you have to have a laser focus on an approachable market segment. This makes any early OUS (outside U.S.) strategy difficult for healthcare startups. However, in Adachi, we found an opportunity to enter the Japanese market with a partner that believes strongly enough in our product and our team to dedicate significant resources to a pre-market opportunity. Furthermore, when Adachi hosted us on a road show across Japan to meet with the top KOLs (key opinion leaders) in the ENT space, they demonstrated that: (1) they have excellent market access in the territory, and (2) the market pull for our product is very strong. There was so much value to us in this one road show. I encourage every startup team looking at a potential distribution partner to be hands on and adamant in vetting their potential partner’s market access and KOL relationships. We believe the work we did up front in this area will pay dividends down the road.

    I would be remiss if I did not take a minute to opine on what beautiful culture and country exists in Japan. Everything from their relationship-driven business culture, to their incredible food, or their breathtaking historical sites is an absolute pleasure to experience. If I may make a few recommendations from the trips Ryan Nolan (my co-founder) and I took last fall:

    Kyoto is beautiful. It is packed full of rich history with its shrines, gates, and temples. Definitely worth a visit.

    Find a local and eat whatever they recommend. Our partners were kind enough to make several recommendations.

    We had the best sushi one can imagine. Amazing skewered and grilled chicken parts of all kinds (yakitori), sea urchin, cabbage pizza (okonomiyaki), and even a few pieces of medium rare chicken that were touted as a special preparation (still wondering if that one was a joke on the gullible Americans…:)). It was quite delicious (and we never got sick)! Try ALL the food. It’s amazing.

    If you find yourself in Tokyo, give Oedo Ayatori a try. This was our favorite restaurant experience of the entire trip! It offered excellent food with a mind-blowing presentation, and a super fun atmosphere including a 360-degree rotating grill…

    We certainly recognize that in addition to all the hard work we have put in to build this relationship and close a deal, the real work (and fun!) is just beginning. We are excited for what the future holds for PhotoniCare and we look forward to improving the health and hearing outcomes for many children and adults across Japan…and eating well while doing so!

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  • The Real Cost of Ear Infections

    Middle ear infections, or otitis media, are very common. So common, in fact, that 90% of children will suffer from an ear infection in their childhood. You may notice your child being more fussy than usual, tugging on their ear and grimacing, or complaining about a sharp pain in the ear. These are all common ear infection systems which often lead a parent to take their child to a healthcare provider. 

    Because ear infections are the most common ailment among kids it can cost a significant amount to the consumer and the health care system. With healthcare expenses on scrutiny now more than ever, we break down the real cost for ear infections, and how our technology will empower healthcare providers to make better decisions, and reduce costs exponentially. 

    By the Numbers
    If a parent brings their child into the office to see a healthcare provider, hits to the pocketbook begin to escalate:

    • A typical visit to a healthcare provider’s office costs between $25 and $250.
    • Copays for office visits range from $5 and $75, depending on the insurance company.

    In addition to an office visit, there are many parents who take their child for ear pain treatment to urgent care or the emergency room. Debt.org reported on an Annals of Internal Medicine study that found the average cost of an urgent care visit for three common illnesses — middle ear infection, pharyngitis and urinary tract infection — was $155. Other estimates place the average urgent care visit at anywhere from $71 to $125. There are also instances where a parent may take their child to the emergency room for ear pain. Debt.org reports that an average emergency room visit for ear pain can cost an average of $400. 

    Antibiotics
    Besides being so prevalent among children, ear infections are also the leading cause of antibiotic over-prescription and antibiotic resistance development. Antibiotics play an important role in fighting infection, but when prescribed inappropriately, such as for viral infections or a non-bacteria related middle ear problem, the correct course of treatment is delayed, and the potential for unrelated bacteria to develop resistance to the prescribed antibiotic(s) can become a problem. 

    Antibiotics also come with a price tag for parents:

    • Antibiotics typically prescribed for a bacterial ear infection, such as Amoxicillin, cost between $20 and $110 for a week’s treatment. 
    • Copays for the prescription ranges from $5 to $50.

    Devices like OtoSight Middle Ear Scope will allow your healthcare provider to image the contents of the middle ear– providing key access to the information needed for a correct diagnosis and the first step in being a good Antibiotic Steward and reducing costs, both to you and the healthcare environment! 

    Surgery
    For some children, the next best step in managing your child’s ear health is the placement of tubes within the eardrum. About 700,000 children each year have ear tubes surgically placed, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Ear tubes typically cost around $2,000-5,000 for people with insurance.  

    Diagnosing Ear Infections
    The American Academy of Pediatrics AOM guidelines state that fluid must be present in the middle ear to definitively diagnose Acute Otitis Media (AOM). This buildup of fluid and pressure in the middle ear is the direct result of a microbial infection that would, in many cases, be treated with antibiotics. However, determining if there is fluid in the middle ear is difficult today because the tools currently available measure or view the eardrum only, rather than measuring the potential fluid directly. In the current paradigm of care, the eardrum is observed as a proxy for middle ear health.

    Current tools used to diagnose fluid in the middle ear can be difficult to use reliably in squirming or crying children, and rely heavily on user expertise to interpret a simple image or measurement of the eardrum. In the primary care setting, otoscopic accuracy has been reported to be as low as 50%. By the numbers, half of all children are not given an accurate diagnosis. The result? Increased costs for payers and over prescription of antibiotics for the patient. 

    • Ear infections, in general, are responsible for $10 billion in related healthcare costs
    • AOM  infections are the cause of 30 million office visits each year in the United States alone. 

    PhotoniCare’s mission is to make a real impact on the health of children – that’s why we started with middle ear infections. Our goal with our first product, the OtoSight Middle Ear Scope, is to revolutionize the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of middle ear infections. 

    The Future of Diagnosing Ear Infections
    The technology harnessed by the OtoSight Middle Ear Scope is a quantum leap over the current standard, in that OtoSight Middle Ear Scope can actually see evidence of disease in the middle ear. All other technologies on the market are using the eardrum as a proxy to diagnose middle ear disease – this methodology is inherently problematic as it does not reflect accurately enough the actual condition of the middle ear. In other words, you get what you see – OtoSight Middle Ear Scope technology allows healthcare providers to actually see the contents of the middle ear, such as fluid, and this is the first step in diagnosing middle ear disease accurately. No proxies, no guessing. 

    The OtoSight Middle Ear Scope has the potential to fundamentally transform the diagnosis and treatment of middle ear infection. It could improve the quality of care for one billion children worldwide, empower healthcare providers to make better decisions, and reduce costs exponentially. We are so excited to get this technology out to patients as soon as possible. Thanks, as always, for being part of our journey.

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  • PhotoniCare Takes First Place at the 2019 HealthTECH Startup Competition

    PhotoniCare took home first place at the 7th Annual Insight Product Development 2019 HealthTECH Startup Competition. The annual competition, sponsored by Insight Innovation Center – Chicago, MATTER, and iBIO, brings together a mix of healthcare industry and community stakeholders. The program aims to achieve the following goals:

    • Improve lives by bringing innovative health solutions to patients
    • Encourage entrepreneurship in the healthcare industry
    • Grow the medical innovation ecosystem
    • Connect investors and corporations with early-stage companies

    The competition included 10 finalists, selected based on a competitive application process, which came together on November 14th in Chicago, Illinois, to each give a five-minute startup live-pitch – PhotoniCare took first place! Tivic Health followed in second place, with Rhaeos in third, and CareBand took the People’s Choice Award. 

    Ryan Nolan, PhotoniCare’s VP of Clinical Operations and Co-founder, gave the pitch and Mike Shaughnessy, PhotoniCare’s VP of Sales & Marketing, was also present to accept the $25,000 award.

    “Participating in the HealthTech Startup Competition with such impressive competition was an amazing opportunity!”, commented Nolan. “On a night where so many innovative medical technologies were featured, I’m honored by the first place award. Thank you to all the sponsors for such a fun event. And thank you to all our partners for supporting our mission to provide superior ear infection diagnosis for the ~20 million annual U.S. patients suffering with this disease.”

    Check out the full event recap as posted by the Insight Innovation Center here.

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  • The PhotoniCare team caps off a successful 2019 with a move to a new location

    2019 has been a very exciting AND BUSY year for the PhotoniCare team. In particular, the year has brought more growth and movement forward for the staff than ever before. Between funding agreements, opportunities for research studies, multiple industry trade shows, and more, the team has been busier than ever.

    If you’re just tuning in, here’s a snapshot of just a few of PhotoniCare’s 2019 highlights:

    Over the past year it was becoming very clear that the team required more space to accommodate the growth of the company. So, if the year wasn’t busy enough, the team banded  together and made the move from the University of Illinois Research Park to a new office located on Fox Drive in Champaign, Illinois. PhotoniCare had occupied a space at Enterprise Works, a building within the Research Park, for over four years. First just one office, then an office and a lab, then an additional two offices. 

    “The move to the new office space on Fox Drive has been exciting, to say the least,” commented Ryan Shelton, PhotoniCare’s CEO and co-founder. “Part of the move includes a build out of a portion of the office space. So the #EnginEarGuys got to try our hand at interior design! Much of the design, however, was spearheaded by one of PhotoniCare’s engineers, Heather Howard. She helped the team navigate the moving process and make decisions on everything from our new manufacturing layout to the aesthetics – carpet, paint, and furniture!”. 

    The Fox Development Corporation recently featured the PhotoniCare team in their tenant newsletter, interviewing PhotoniCare CEO and Co-Founder Ryan Shelton. You can check out that highlight here.

    Over the next few months the team, alongside Fox Development Corporation, will continue to build out our space and make the appropriate modifications to support both staff and manufacturing capabilities. We’re looking forward to welcoming the community into our space at an official unveiling set for early 2020. Stay tuned for details!

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  • The Team Behind the Technology

    PhotoniCare was founded in 2013 out of a shared passion to make a real impact on the health of children. The people that make up PhotoniCare are dedicated, collaborative, and caffeinated, to say the least. Small but mighty, this team has done a lot in a short amount of time, which recently included an FDA clearance on their novel medical device, the OtoSight Middle Ear Scope. 

    So who are the people behind the technology? Let’s meet Ryan Shelton, Ryan Nolan, Wei Kang, Heather Howard, and Nate Wetter:

    RYAN SHELTON, CEO, CO-FOUNDER
    What is your role with PhotoniCare:
    I founded PhotoniCare with Ryan Nolan and Steve Boppart and have been serving as its CEO since. My role with the company is to cast vision, recruit people better than myself, and make sure we don’t run out of money. Those are my three main tasks. That said, I also sweep floors, flip burgers, and take out the trash. The variety keeps me interested.

    What is your background?
    I am a PhD-trained engineer, but have had to sacrifice much of that lab-work to learn how to effectively run a business. I like both sides of it, but I have come to love what I do as CEO. Like many entrepreneurs, I was completely unqualified to be CEO, having come straight from an academic post-doc. I like to think I’m more qualified now. One of my favorite jobs was a guitar tech at Daddio’s Music in Stillwater, OK. I still love music and play guitar often.

    What is the most exciting part for you in developing this technology?
    We made a pretty significant product pivot a couple of years ago and it carried a fair bit of risk, but resulted in our current product, which I am super pleased with. Making a bet like that and then seeing users at tradeshows praise it so enthusiastically is a great feeling.

    What impact do you think OtoSight Middle Ear Scope will have on the healthcare community?
    I think we’ll start by becoming the gold standard for ear infections, where better decisions early in the disease can drastically impact the downstream treatment and patient outcomes. After that, I’m super excited about some of the other disease indications in our pipeline.

    What do you think is the best part about working on the PhotoniCare team?
    I love working with people that love what they do. It is culture-defining, and our team loves what they do. It’s easy to get up in the morning when your goal for the day is to move something forward that will change the lives of millions of kids.

    RYAN NOLAN, VP of CLINICAL OPERATIONS, CO-FOUNDER
    What is your role with PhotoniCare:
    I’m the VP of Clinical Operations & Co-founder, so I manage all of our clinical trials and publications with our amazing collaborators, as well as lead our reimbursement strategy.

    What is your background?
    I’m a clinical research professional and bioengineer from Pitt and Cornell, with 8+ years experience leading clinical trials in multiple areas of medicine. In other words, I love taking cool, new technology out of the research lab and developing it for clinical adoption. As one of the founders of PhotoniCare, I started out as a research scientist alongside Ryan Shelton in Professor Stephen Boppart’s lab at UIUC. We co-founded PhotoniCare to bring the promising and exciting technology we developed in the lab to the real world to improve the standard of care at the front lines of medicine, starting by addressing ear infections.

    What is the most exciting part for you in developing this technology?
    Seeing the devices we built together used to image patients in our collaborating hospitals. We put a lot of time and effort into designing and building these devices and it’s always satisfying to see the OtoSight Middle Ear Scope in action, as well as the reactions of not only the clinicians who use OtoSight Middle Ear Scope, but also the patients and their parents as they see inside their/their child’s ear for the first time. 

    What impact do you think OtoSight Middle Ear Scope will have on the healthcare community?
    I think the biggest impact will be how the OtoSight Middle Ear Scope drastically improves the way ears are examined at the front lines of medicine. Current tools, like the simple otoscope, are outdated and innovation is sorely needed to improve the care delivered.

    What do you think is the best part about working on the PhotoniCare team?
    I truly enjoy working as part of an agile, small team and the ability to wear multiple hats, so to speak. We face a diverse set of challenges as a medical device startup, and I appreciate the opportunity to work alongside and learn so much from all my colleagues as we work so hard together to bring OtoSight Middle Ear Scope to the world!

    WEI KANG, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
    What is your role with PhotoniCare and what is your background:
    I’m the Director of Research and Development at PhotoniCare. My background includes a Biomedical Ph.D. and five years at St. Jude Medical (now Abbott) where I had the opportunity to gain extensive knowledge of the integration of medical device companies. That knowledge included research and development, regulatory, quality, manufacturing, marketing, service, and more. 

    What is the most exciting part for you in developing this technology?
    It’s been exciting for me to be a part of the PhotoniCare team developing this technology because the TOMi Scope OtoSight Middle Ear Scope will be a tremendously helpful product to our customers – and will fulfill an unmet need. 

    What impact do you think OtoSight Middle Ear Scope will have on the healthcare community?
    OtoSight Middle Ear Scope will ultimately reduce medical costs to our society, and set an example of how low cost optical coherence tomography (OCT) can find a market. 

    What do you think is the best part about working on the PhotoniCare team?
    At PhotoniCare, we approach OCT differently than the mainstream OCT companies. I like that I can spend time learning – and discover new opportunities where we can implement our technology.

    HEATHER HOWARD, DIRECTOR OF MANUFACTURING
    What is your role with PhotoniCare:
    I’m the director of manufacturing, so I manage the whole process of building the device and making sure it passes our quality standards. I’ve also been heavily involved in testing the device and preparing our submission to the FDA.

    What is your background / work history:
    I studied mechanical engineering and worked in medical devices design in Boston before moving out to Champaign and joining PhotoniCare.

    What has been the most exciting part for you in developing this technology:
    When I tell people about what I’m working on here at PhotoniCare, everyone has their own story about how ear infections have impacted them. Parents of young children are the most enthusiastic, but this really is a problem that touches a lot of people. I love getting to work on a device that can help. I also enjoy the opportunity to get involved with many aspects of the project and learn new things along the way.

    What impact do you think this technology will make:
    I think the biggest impact will be to give doctors and patients (and patients’ parents) more confidence in their treatment choices by providing a clear image of whether there’s fluid in the ear or not.  

    What is your favorite part about working on the PhotoniCare team:
    I love working with a group of people who are so dedicated to this project, but are still able to be flexible and have fun together. Team cookouts are also a highlight!

    NATE WETTER, BIOMEDICAL ENGINEER
    What is your role with PhotoniCare and what is your background:
    I’m an Engineer with PhotoniCare. My background includes degrees in Computer Engineering and Biomedical Engineering from the University of Illinois, and a Medical Doctorate from Southern Illinois University. I also have experience with developing novel medical training technology.

    What has been the most exciting part for you in developing this technology:
    I like that at PhotoniCare I can draw on every part of my varied background experiences to support the team’s efforts in developing our technology.

    What impact do you think this technology will make:
    We will finally be good at dealing with an affliction that, despite affecting almost everyone, we have not been good at dealing with before now.

    What is your favorite part about working on the PhotoniCare team?
    More or less – we are all new to this. So I really enjoy that we are all learning together and working together.

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  • The #EnginEarGuys Look Back at 2018’s Most Memorable Moments

    The last few years have been kind to us at PhotoniCare, but no year has given us the ability to grow more than 2018 did. Here is a recap of some of our most memorable moments from this past year:

    • We won first place in the 2018 SPIE Startup Challenge. We started the year with a win at the 2018 SPIE Startup Challenge in San Francisco, CA. The SPIE Startup Challenge is held annually at Photonics West, the world’s most comprehensive technical conference and exhibition spanning biophotonics for brain research and healthcare, lasers for research and advanced manufacturing, sensors and camera systems, imagining and displays, communications and optoelectronics, plus the core optical components that enable many of today’s consumer products. PhotoniCare competed in the Biophotonics and point of care track, consisting of 10 startups from across the world. Ryan Shelton, co-founder and CEO, pitched at the presentation. As winner of the best pitch, PhotoniCare was awarded with a $10,000 cash prize in addition to a week-long entrepreneur bootcamp training, numerous promotion opportunities, and reimbursement for travel expenses.
    • We competed in the HealthSpark 2018 Barracuda Bowl. Our year of achievements started out with a bang at the Barracuda Bowl in Texas. Presented by HealthSpark, the Barracuda Bowl was part of the South by Southwest Conference and consisted of fifteen of the most promising startups in healthtech. We had the privilege of being one of those coveted fifteen spots and had the opportunity to really showcase our company and product. We certainly attracted plenty of notice and took home the “Company of Choice” award by the TMC Innovation Institute.
    • We received honors at the Angel Capital Association in Boston. About a month later, we were recognized as part of the Luis Villalobos Award by the Angel Capital Association. Villalobos, was known for his appreciation of ingenuity and was always looking for cutting edge companies to invest in. After his passing, the Luis Villalobos Awards honored his namesake by recognizing the most ingenious and innovative ideas. This year, we were selected as one of the four finalists across the country. It was an incredible honor and was proof of the hard work that our whole team had put in to our technology and our company. Thank you to VisionTech Partners for the humbling nomination!
    • We received a clinical research grant from the National Institutes of Health. In May, we received some exciting news! The National Institutes of Health awarded us a $2.1M award through the Phase II-b Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. With this additional funding from the National Institute of Deafness and Communication Disorders, we hope to continue to build and expand on our clinical trials to advance the TOMi Scope [OtoSight Middle Ear Scope] even further.
    • We were selected by MedTech Innovator for 2018 Showcase and Accelerator. 2018 continued to get better for us as we were chosen as a Top 50 startup company by MedTech Innovator from over 700 applicants. We participated in a four-month program that paired us with representatives from MedTech Innovator’s corporate partners, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Military. We concluded the program at the MedTech Conference in Philadelphia.
    • We had an incredibly successful MedTech Conference. Continuing our trend of having a strong 2018, we were the recipients of two awards that recognize promising new startups. The first of these was the Execution Award –  presented jointly by AdvaMed Accel and MedTech Innovator, this award recognized strong leadership teams with next-generation innovations. The second, The Virginia Shimer Rybski Memorial Award, was created to encourage the enthusiastic pursuit of business excellence in the medical technology industry. This award, presented each year during the association’s annual meeting to a single company, was created and named after the former President and CEO of Regenesis Biomedical. The winning company each year receives a sizable grant, a cash prize to be applied toward expenses required to commercialize the product and a one-year membership with AdvaMed.
    • PhotoniCare exhibits at AAO and AAP.
      Four members of the PhotoniCare team took to the exhibition halls this fall as they attended and exhibited at the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Annual Meeting and OTO Experience in Atlanta, Georgia and at the American Academy of Pediatrics Experience National Conference & Exhibition in Orlando, Florida. The team demonstrated the TOMi Scope [OtoSight Middle Ear Scope] to clinicians from around the world, made some great contacts, and look forward to participating in these valuable events again in 2019.

    Yes, a pretty special year for us, and if 2018 is any indication of our future success, we can’t wait to dig into 2019 and beyond! 

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  • A Personal Motivation for a Public Problem

    Given that this is intended to be the first of many conversations, I’ll start by introducing myself. My name is Ryan Shelton. I am a problem solver, a maker, a husband, a father. I love food, coffee, beer, board games, a wide variety of music, traveling, and meeting new people. I am an amateur musician, amateur golfer, and amateur programmer, but I have achieved intermediate status in fort-building and wrestling with toddlers.

    In 2011, I was at Texas A&M University in the process of convincing my dissertation advisor to let me schedule my dissertation defense, when my wife and I found out we were having our first child. This was, of course, joyous, exhilarating, and terrifying, as it was already a very busy time in our life. We cheered, and cried, and made plans to bring a child into the world. Jack was born in November. He was healthy and beautiful and looks just like me, a point of which I’m reminded every single day. When Jack was around two months old, he got his first ear infection. We didn’t know what was going on, we just knew that he screamed and cried all night. ALL night. The following weeks were a brutal awakening to parenthood that may have eclipsed the 23-hour labor he was kind enough to bestow upon us (and by us, I mean my wife…). We did not know the problem was an ear infection until we finally brought him into convenient care a couple of days later. The physician took a quick look at his ears with the otoscope and said he has a double ear infection. He gave us a prescription for amoxicillin and sent us home. The following 10 months was more of the same. Every few weeks he would get an ear infection and we would usually end up with a prescription for an antibiotic. All this, despite the fact that the 2011-2012 flu season was one of the mildest in recent memory. It was incredibly frustrating that the infections seem to come infrequent enough not to prompt referral to an ENT, but frequent enough that we spent a good portion of the year piling antibiotics into a very young child’s microbiome. I often wonder how Jack’s first year of life might have been different, had we access then to the technology I spent the next few years building.

    Directly after a successful dissertation defense in Fall of 2012, I took a position with Stephen Boppart at the University of Illinois’ Beckman Institute and we moved to Illinois. I was leading a project developing new handheld imaging devices for seeing through human tissues. Steve had already begun to explore the idea of using the technology to see through the eardrum, and given my recent experiences with Jack, I pushed that application hard and with the passion of a frustrated parent. Over the next couple of years, we built prototypes and tested those prototypes in human clinical studies. We found we could indeed see what was behind the eardrum, without the need to cut the eardrum open. We immediately wanted to see this technology make an impact in other parents’ and children’s lives, so we began to explore commercialization of the technology. This resulted in the founding of PhotoniCare, alongside Steve Boppart and Ryan Nolan. PhotoniCare’s mission is to empower frontline health care providers with actionable information that enables them to provide better care, improve clinical outcomes of their patients, and work alongside their patients to achieve the best possible quality of life.

    Consider this an invitation to join us in our mission and journey. We will use this blog to communicate our passion, struggles, successes, celebrations, and musings to anyone interested in traveling alongside us as we try to make the vision we have a reality. Please feel free to reach out to us on LinkedIn, Facebook, or our website.

    In the meantime, we would love to hear your personal stories about ear infections in a comment!

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