The 2025 Iowa Nurse Innovators Pitch Competition brought together nurses from across the state to share ideas designed to improve patient care, enhance safety, and streamline clinical workflows. The event provided a platform for nurse innovators to pitch their solutions for the chance to receive funding to further develop and test their ideas in real-world care settings.

Meet the Winners

First Place

Taking home first place and a $10,000 award was:

Kate Anderson, Instructional Services Coordinator, Department of Anesthesia, UI Health Care | IV Co-Pilot
The IV Co-Pilot is a flexible, mechanical device that connects a patient’s IV pole directly to a wheelchair, bed, or transport cart, making transfers more seamless while reducing ergonomic strain and physical burden on nursing and radiology staff. 

Second Place

Earning second place and $5,000 was:

Deanna Daugherty, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Department of Rehabilitation Therapies, UI Health Care | Scrotal Sling
The Scrotal Sling provides patients experiencing scrotal swelling with a hands-free, inconspicuous, and low-cost support system that allows them to ambulate safely while keeping their hands free for assistive devices such as canes or walkers.

Third Place

Awarded third place and $2,000 was:

Mendy Collum, Registered Nurse, Labor and Delivery, Broadlawns Medical Center. | The Collum Clip
The Collum Clip is a tool designed to streamline newborn resuscitation by keeping essential resuscitation tools visible, accessible, and sequenced, minimizing cognitive load, and lowering the risk of contamination or selection errors. 

Innovation in Action

This year’s pitch competition highlighted the ingenuity and problem-solving mindset nurses bring to healthcare challenges every day. From improving patient mobility and transport to supporting safer emergency care, these innovations demonstrate how frontline insights can lead to meaningful, scalable solutions.

The Iowa Nurse Innovators program continues to support nurses with the guidance, resources, and funding needed to turn ideas into impact. These projects not only improve patient outcomes, but also enhance staff well-being and operational efficiency—reinforcing the essential role nurses play in shaping the future of healthcare.

Stay tuned for updates as these innovations continue to evolve and move closer to implementation.