Enduring CNE: Beyond Pills: Exploring Digital Health Solutions for Pain Management in Older Adults

Dr. Marcia Shade, BS, PhD, RN is a nurse, scholar, educator, leader, and innovator. She is an Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Shade also is the founder and CEO of Voice-It Inc. a start-up company that focuses on creating digital health solutions that engage, inform, and empower older adults. Dr. Shade's scholarship focuses on improving pain management in older adults and has received both intramural and extramural funding to lead her program of research. Dr. Shade has published over 20 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and has given presentations at numerous scientific meetings across the country. Dr. Shade is an engaged member of the Gerontological Society of America, US Association for the Study of Pain, American Society of Pain Management Nursing, and the Midwest Nursing Research Society. She has received national recognition and awards for her contributions to nursing research, most recently the 2023 Excellence in Nursing Care of Older Adult Award and 2023 Research Award from the American Society of Pain Management Nursing. Dr. Shade is committed to molding future nurse scientists with her involvement on a multimillion-dollar HRSA grant, using immersive true-to-life virtual reality scenarios with undergraduate nursing students that focus on diversity and implicit bias in health care. As a nurse innovator and entrepreneur, Dr. Shade works to extend the “reach and impact” of her research by creating and testing artificial intelligence technology to improve older adult’s pain management. She and her start-up company were selected as a winners of a highly competitive National Institutes of Health, National Institutes on Aging Small Business Accelerator that increases diversity in business research and development.