In this episode, host Lillian Pryor interviews two distinguished guests about the impact of new technology, including virtual reality, on the nephrology industry. Joining the conversation are Beth Ulrich, EdD RN FACHE FAONL FAAN, a nationally recognized thought leader in nephrology nursing, and Tim Fitzpatrick, co-founder and CEO of IKONA, a pioneer in using virtual reality for patient education in nephrology.

Dr. Ulrich brings her extensive experience as a healthcare executive, educator, and researcher, while Tim Fitzpatrick shares his innovative work in virtual reality technology and analytics to improve outcomes for patients with end stage kidney disease. Tune in to explore the transformative potential of technology in nephrology and how it is shaping the future of patient care and nursing practice.

Beth Ulrich, EdD, RN, FACHE, FAONL, FAAN, is a nationally recognized thought leader who is known for her research studying nursing work environments and the experiences of new graduate nurses as they transition from nursing school into the workforce and for her leadership in developing the roles of nephrology nurses and improving the care of nephrology patients. Dr. Ulrich has extensive experience as a healthcare executive, educator, and researcher. She is currently a professor of nursing at the University of Texas Medical Branch School of Nursing at Galveston, teaching in the DNP Program, and Editor-in-Chief of the Nephrology Nursing Journal. Dr. Ulrich is a past president of the American Nephrology Nurses Association, a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, a Fellow in the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, and a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. She has been recognized as a Distinguished alumnus of the Medical University of South Carolina School of Nursing and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Nursing. In 2018, she received the Marguerite Rodgers Kinney Award for a Distinguished Career from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and in 2023 she received the Nell J. Watts Lifetime Achievement Award from Sigma Theta Tau. Dr. Ulrich has been the primary investigator on a series of national nursing workforce and work environment studies, including five studies of nurse work environments conducted for the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.  She has numerous publications and presentations to her credit on topics including nurses' work environments, how new graduate nurses transition into professional nurses, and nephrology nursing.  Both editions of Dr. Ulrich’s books Mastering Precepting (2012, 2019) and Mastering Simulation (2014, 2020) have received the American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Awards. The 3rd edition of Mastering Precepting was published in July 2023.

Tim Fitzpatrick is the co-founder and CEO of IKONA, a learning company trusted by over 250 clinics to improve ESRD outcomes using virtual reality and analytics. His interest in healthcare stems from his own experiences as a patient in the US Navy and VA Health System. Before launching his first company, Tim worked as an equities trader in New York where he covered emerging technologies (such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence) and new media (streaming, studios, content). Building on his co-founders’ research, Tim launched IKONA in 2017 to help tackle the uncertainties he once faced in the Navy, a company now backed by top research, healthcare and technology partners including the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, StartUp Health and NVIDIA. Tim has served as Principal Investigator on multiple patient education-focused research grants, published several papers on the neuroscience of learning and immersive technologies in a leading peer-reviewed nephrology journal, and supported early stage healthcare technology startups as Venture Partner at New York-based FundRx. He also...