Our Clinical Lead’s Summer Tour of the US
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to bridge the gap between a MedTech startup and real-world clinical practice, this is my blog of my month on the road visiting Southern, Midwestern and Eastern States. I set out to visit our clinical trial sites, attend key conferences (check out the MHSRS blog), and meet with EMS and fire department medical directors. My aim was to validate our medical device, gather frontline insights, and cultivate partnerships that can bring our life-saving innovation from prototype to practice.
Moving forward, now I’m back in the UK, we will refine the clinical trial endpoints to capture clinically meaningful outcomes, continue engaging with EMS medical directors and fire department Chiefs, and continue exploring civilian and military collaborations.
Week 1, Texas – Where EMS Intuition Met Innovation
San Antonio to Houston via Dallas-Fort Worth, a loop that underscored the overarching truth that the front lines of prehospital care are diverse yet share an urgency to bring innovation to those in need.
The Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council EMS conference or STRAC, offered a dense schedule of sessions and vendor demos. The key takeaway was not just what was presented, but how clinicians framed their challenges with existing procedures, workforce development and disaster readiness.
In Houston I visited one of our future clinical trial sites, Harris Health Ben Taub Hospital to discuss the protocol development and show off the new prototypes which were very well received by both the emergency room staff, research teams as well as trauma surgeons. It was well agreed that our device, the B.O.B, will minimise cognitive load and addresses both performance metrics and user satisfaction.
Week 2, Chicago, IL – Crossing Time Zones & Care Continuums
Flying into the cooler climes of Chicago, I had meetings with University of Chicago Medicine on the Southside of Chicago. Here they provide outstanding care to a region of the city that has higher-than-average violent crime rates. This is driven by gun violence in concentrated pockets of the area. Chicago, as with all our sites, presents an opportunity to use the B.O.B across multiple fire departments and EMS agencies saving the lives of those injured as a result of trauma and violence.
Week 3, Baltimore, MD – History, Harbour, and a Question of Scale
Baltimore always offers us a blend of academic intensity and practical clinical operations, with another strong focus on patient outcomes and research rigour. This visit saw the successful selection of our third clinical trial site, R Adams Cowley SHOCK Trauma Centre, a dedicated trauma hospital in the heart of Baltimore. I also had conversations with EMS leadership and medical directors about device adoption and scaling clinical trials out in the prehospital arena.
It's clear that the strongest partnerships will form when clinical trial design respects the reality of busy healthcare workers whilst offering clear value propositions, such as reducing treatment delays and scalable training pathways.
Week 4, Kissimmee, FL - Aligning Prehospital Innovation with Military Medical Needs
In Kissimmee, the focus shifted to a high-priority battlefield of defence health in future conflicts. Our area of non-compressible haemorrhage featured highly on the priorities, underscoring how rapid haemorrhage control can shift outcomes in both austere and conventional settings. Having served in the British Army in the peaks of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, stabilising bleeding quickly when every second counts is nothing new to me. The dialogue around non-compressible haemorrhage care was not just about devices, but about integrated care pathways.
New and old connections shaped the week, and informal conversations in the hallways and during meals reinforced a shared vision, to harmonise civilian and military medical practice, ensuring haemorrhage control advances translate into tangible readiness.
This month underscored our mission, to move life-saving innovations forward from concept to real-world impact, across civilian and military ecosystems. With strong partnerships, practical roadmaps, and a shared commitment to safety and excellence, we’re ready to keep moving forward to bring B.O.B to market.
If you’re interested in partnering, data collaboration, or pilot opportunities, connect with me, nicky.johnson@actmedical.co.uk and move ideas from discussion to deployment.
ACT Medical’s award-winning medical device concept aims to save the lives of trauma victims by stemming bleeding from knife and gunshot wounds. Follow ACT Medical on LinkedIn for latest updates or email hello@actmedical.co.uk to speak to us directly.