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null Dermatology resident building new technologies to transform patient care

Dr. Sheila Wang received the 2019 (CMA) Award for Young Leaders (Resident)RI-MUHC research fellow Sheila Wang receives the Canadian Medical Association Award for Young Leaders (Resident)

April 30, 2019

Source: CMA. It didn’t take long for Dr. Sheila Wang to make her mark. In her first year of medical school, during a wound clinic, she observed that chronic wounds were being measured with a paper ruler, leading to widely varied results among clinicians. She set out to improve the process.

Dr. Wang developed a mobile app to take images of wounds, automatically calculating the surface area and depth. The software then tracks the wound’s progression and healing. Her innovation won “most practical app” at Hacking Health Toronto and in 2015 led her to co-found Swift Medical, a digital wound care company. The Swift Skin and Wound app has been adopted by more than 1,000 health care facilities in the United States and Canada, contributing to a 75% reduction in bed sores.

Now a third-year dermatology resident at McGill University conducting research studies with Dr. Greg Berry at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), Dr. Wang is working on a pilot project with McGill TeleHealth to integrate her technology and improve access to wound care in northern communities like James Bay.

This spring she is also receiving the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) Award for Young Leaders (Resident) for demonstrating exemplary dedication, commitment and leadership in one of the following areas: political, clinical, educational, or research and community service.

“Medicine, research and innovation is a team sport,” says Dr. Wang, “and I could not have done this without all the hard work by other people who have contributed to this achievement.” The recognition also comes with a personal assignment, she considers: “a responsibility to inspire the healthcare community to support a high-quality, sustainable, and equitable healthcare system for all Canadians.”

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