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UF's Gator MOMiter helps doctors to better communicate with mothers after they've given birth

INNOVATION

Postpartum App Check

To help physicians better communicate with patients, the UF Department of Medicine’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Department has developed a phone app called Gator MOMiter.

Currently in the pilot phase, the app sends questions to patients who have recently given birth. The questions are tailored to the individual patient and are focused on early detection of problems in four categories: Infections from C-sections, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and postpartum depression.

Conceived by Dr. Kay Roussos-Ross and financed through a $190,000 grant from the Florida Department of Health, the program has an enrollment of 250 patients but wants 500 to generate enough data to analyze. Ultimately, Roussos-Ross hopes the app will prove useful to patients and will decrease morbidity, so it can be rolled out to OB/GYN practices throughout the state.

HIGHER EDUCATION

  • The University of Florida reported $960 million in research spending in 2021, a $17.8-million increase over the university’s previous record in 2020.
  • University of North Florida assistant professor of electrical engineering Mona Nasseri has been awarded $199,000 by the National Science Foundation to research wearable devices for women with epilepsy to help predict the onset of a seizure.
  • Beginning in the summer 2022, Jacksonville University will offer a three-year master’s of science degree in dentistry with a certificate in comprehensive oral implantology.
  • The University of North Florida has named Richmond Wynn chief diversity officer. Before accepting the role on an interim basis in November 2021, Wynn was director of the master’s of science in clinical mental health counseling program and interim coordinator of the LGBTQ Center.
  • Jacksonville University is offering a one-year practical nurse certification program in partnership with Baptist Health and the JU Healthcare Simulation Center. The program will prepare students to sit for the National Council Licensure Exam.
  • Classes will begin this fall at Jacksonville University’s new College of Law. Jacksonville has committed $5 million to the program, which will open with 20 to 30 students and is expected to enroll 150 by 2024.
  • Researcher and UF alumna Linda Aiken has committed $1 million to the UF College of Nursing. The endowment will be used to create the Linda Harman Aikin Chair and fund research into challenges facing nurses.

RETAIL

  • Atlantic Beach-based restaurant Southern Grounds & Co. is planning to sell franchises in 12 southern states. A recent sale to the Sogro St. Pete Hospitality Group will bring nine outlets to south Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater. The restaurants will begin opening in the fall.

HEALTH CARE

  • Guidewell has named Dr. Kelli Tice its first chief health equity officer. A former director for the Florida Department of Health, Tice will help Guidewell Mutual Holding, the parent company for Florida Blue, address social, health and racial inequities in the communities it serves.
  • Mayo Clinic plans to add five floors to its eight-floor structure. The $432-million expansion will include 121 inpatient beds, including 56 ICU beds, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

  • First Coast Security Services has laid off more than 250 statewide after the company’s contract with the medical marijuana company Trulieve ended.

REAL ESTATE

  • Jacksonville-based Steinemann & Co. purchased 17 acres at World Commerce Center to build a 162,000-sq.-ft. Costco at I-95 and International Golf Parkway. The store is expected to open in June.

SPORTS BUSINESS

  • Jacksonville sports apparel company Fanatics has purchased Philadelphia-based vintage sports apparel brand Mitchell & Ness with a group of celebrity investors that includes Jay-Z. Fanatics will own 75% and the investor group 25%.

TECHNOLOGY

  • Jacksonville-based Quadrant Information Security has been acquired by New York-based Worklyn Partners, a growth equity firm investing in cyber-security and IT services.

TOURISM

  • After a three-year renovation, Atlantic Beach’s Salt Air Inn & Suites has reopened. The 76-yearold motel is now a 15-room coastal boutique property and sits next to another ‘40s-era lodge one block off A1A.
  • Cruising out of Jacksonville has returned after two-plus years with the American Queen Voyages 12-day cruises and Carnival Cruise’s Sailabration Cruise. Both cruises include stops in the Bahamas.

TRADE

  • The Northeast Florida Builders Association named St. Augustine-based MasterCraft Builder Group the Builder of the Year for 2022. In addition, CEO Chris Shee was named 2022 chairman of Builders Care, the non-profit arm of the builder’s association.
  • Jacksonville-based Sauer Construction has received a $19.2-million contract to repair the fitness center at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.
  • UF has launched a two-year Emerging Small Business Program for the construction industry. The construction business must be in Alachua, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Gilchrist, Levy, Marion, Putnam or Union counties and have fewer than 15 employees. Through the program, they will receive guidance from UF experts and opportunities to work on university-led projects valued at up to $15,000.

TRANSPORTATION

  • Spirit Airlines has partnered with Jacksonville-based ATP Flight School to train pilots to fly A30 aircraft in about two years.
  • Elite Airways has added weekly service to Portland, Maine, from the Northeast Florida Regional Airport in St. Augustine. The company has also added a third day of flights to Newark, N.J.
  • Jacksonville-based Crowley Government Services has received a $41.7-million contract to continue maintaining and operating five T-AGOS vessels for the Navy for another 10 months. The company has held the contract since 2014.