Page 12 - ME Newsletter Spring

entrepreneurial alumni entrepreneurial alumni MARIE JOHNSON
MS ‘99, PhD ‘04
Marie Johnson serves as founder and CEO of
LoonMD, a digital health company based in
Minnesota established in December 2020 amidst
the COVID-19 pandemic. LoonMD’s expertise
spans application development, pulmonology,
neurology, cardiology, AI, and acoustics. The
company developed the MamaBear Health App,
catering to children with suspected respiratory
conditions like RSV, bronchiolitis, croup, flu, COVID-19, or asthma. MamaBear lets parents oversee their child’s respiratory health, monitor illness exposure, and track activity levels using high-quality video diaries and symptom logs.
It provides tools for tracking symptoms based on seasonal patterns and outbreaks, monitoring medication intake and outcomes, and fostering seamless collaboration with healthcare providers.
“During the COVID-19 outbreak, my family faced respiratory issues, sparking concern about potential pneumonia,” said Johnson. “Wanting a more precise assessment than
traditional stethoscopes, I developed a low-power ultra-high fidelity sensor and a simple app to capture lung sounds. Realizing its broader applicability after discussions with clinical experts, we secured an SBIR Phase 1 grant from the USDA. This grant led us to engineer a seamless method for rural and indigenous families to relay symptoms to clinicians without specialized software. We also incorporated outcome tracking to empower clinicians in modifying therapeutic approaches. The app’s design prioritized usability in challenging environments.”
Johnson’s Ph.D. research project, “Computerized Heart Valve Diagnosis Using a Digitized Heart Sound,” gave her the foundation to engineer sensor prototypes, develop app functionalities, conduct signal processing, and implement noise cancellation techniques. “My engineering studies instilled in me the courage to explore, learn from setbacks and persist. Confronted with non-functional designs, I heed the wise counsel of my Fluid Dynamics professor: ‘Verify the power source before you take it apart.’”
The LoonMD team is developing a suite of MamaBear pediatric apps. Johnson aims to create a range of consumer-oriented apps facilitating at- home symptom monitoring and optimizing clinical interactions for immediate and long-term treatment outcomes.
12 ME News Spring 2024