Dasia Taylor
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Dasia Taylor | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 6, 2004 |
| Alma mater | University of Iowa |
| Occupation(s) | Inventor, scientist |
| Known for | Founder and CEO of VariegateHealth |
Dasia Taylor (born April 6, 2004) is an inventor, scientist and CEO known for her invention of medical sutures that indicate infection with surgical wounds.
Early life and education
[edit]Dasia Taylor was born On April 6, 2004 in Chicago, Illinois.[1] Her family relocated to Madison, Indiana and later on Iowa City, Iowa.[1] She graduated from Iowa City West High School in 2021.[1] Taylor attended weekly school board and district meetings as a student to advocate for an anti-racist curriculum.[1] Taylor is enrolled and attends the University of Iowa.[2]
Career
[edit]In October 2019, Taylor invented medical sutures that change color to indicate a wound infection as part of a science fair.[3][4] During the development of the project, she discovered that many sutures are coated with a material that conducts electrical resistance in wounds, which is then sent to a patient or doctor's device to warn them of an infection.[3] This technology is widely used in the U.S., but is expensive and limited in access.[3][5] Taylor had to create and test out several dyes and suture threads before discovering beet dye and cotton-polyster blend threads worked best for her invention.[3][6] Her sutures were also created with the aim to be cost-effective and accessible.[7] In 2021, Taylor was named a finalist in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, and received the Seaborg Award.[8][7]
She is the founder and CEO of VariegateHealth, a medical device company.[9] Taylor cites research linking a higher infection rate for Black people post-surgeries, where signs of infection "like redness of the skin and swelling don’t appear as easily on darker skin tones".[9] Taylor hopes to bring her invention to low and middle-income countries where it could better benefit mortality from common infections.[9]
Awards and honors
[edit]- In 2023, Taylor was named Iowa's Woman of the Year by USA Today.[10][9]
- In 2023, Taylor was included on Black Enterprise's 40 under 40 list for "Tech & STEM" achievements[11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Alexander, Otis (2021-08-02). "Dasia Taylor (2004- ) •". BlackPast.org. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ Mangra-Dutcher, Marandah (2021-08-29). "Dasia Taylor plans next steps at the UI after creating innovative sutures". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
- ^ a b c d Magazine, Smithsonian; Machemer, Theresa. "This High Schooler Invented Color-Changing Sutures to Detect Infection". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
- ^ Sy, Stephanie; Wellford, Stephanie (2021-07-22). "17-year-old makes color changing sutures that detect infection". PBS News. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ "Innovative Inventors: Dasia Taylor". KID Museum. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
- ^ Holohan, Meghan (2021-04-02). "Meet the teen who invented color-changing stitches to prevent fatal infections". Today. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
- ^ a b Huynh, Anjali; Krupa, Michelle (2021-04-17). "A student harnessed the power of beets to make healing from surgery safer – and more equitable". CNN. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ Makoni, Abbianca (2021-11-08). "Meet Dasia Taylor, The High Schooler That Invented Color-Changing Sutures To Detect Infection". PeopleOfColorInTech.com. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
- ^ a b c d Crowder, Courtney. "An Iowa high schooler invented an infection-detecting suture. Now she's a CEO". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ King, Grace (2023-07-30). "Iowa City West High School graduate Dasia Taylor celebrating birthday at museum". The Gazette. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ Higgins, Keenan (2023-12-12). "Recap: Black Enterprise's 40 Under 40 Gala Brought Out Jeezy, Ty Hunter And Creatives Of Color Next Up". BlackAmericaWeb.com. Retrieved 2024-12-20.