Irish woman reaches Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards final

24 Jul 2015

Ciara Clancy, Beats Medical - via Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards

Ciara Clancy has been named a finalist at this year’s Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards, with the Beats Medical creator heading off to Paris in October for the announcement.

Because their balance is impaired, patients with Parkinson’s diease experience various mobility symptoms.

“As a result, these people suffer from shortened shuffling steps, sometimes freezing completely, stuck on a spot, unable to move,” explained Clancy who was a speaker at Inspirefest 2015 in June.

Clancy’s business created a smartphone app that provides ‘specialised cueing treatment’ for Parkinson’s patients, which is basically sound wave treatment that enables people to regain mobility.

Providing that metronome

“In a healthy brain there is a metronome that allows you or I to walk normally. In Parkinson’s disease, this is impaired. We provide that metronome again.”

This treatment is available in clinics and hospitals, however, once patients leave then the symptoms can return.

The purpose of Beats Medical was to give this treatment daily via the mobile phone “so that people can go home, have the tools to take control and feel empowered in their care”, said Clancy.

Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards

Now in its 10th year, the project celebrates and supports innovative projects by women entrepreneurs, with applicants falling down six geographical lines.

Winners take home a prize of US$20,000, one year of coaching, extensive networking opportunities and international media exposure.

Last year, Yvonne Brady’s EVB Sports Shorts saw her through to the finals, while 2013 saw Leonora O’Brien’s software company Pharmapod come out on top, overall, in Europe.

Women Invent is Silicon Republic’s campaign to champion the role of women in science, technology, engineering and maths. It has been running since March 2013, and is kindly supported by Accenture Ireland, Intel, the Irish Research Council, ESB, Twitter, CoderDojo and Science Foundation Ireland.

Gordon Hunt was a journalist with Silicon Republic

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