Experienced pharmacist joins PainChek
To expand awareness and adoption of its digital pain assessment technology, PainChek has welcomed Christelle Ucinek to the team.
Digital pain assessment vendor PainChek has appointed registered pharmacist Christelle Ucinek to grow awareness and adoption of its technology as part of expansion plans across the aged care, hospital, disability, palliative and home care sectors in Australia and New Zealand.
Ms Ucinek, a specialist across aged care and disability, joins PainChek as senior commercial manager with over 13 years of experience in the healthcare sector. She was most recently general manager of electronic medication manager Medi-Map, where she worked for over six years.
“I’m really excited to join PainChek at what is a pivotal time of growth and development for the company. PainChek is revolutionising the way we assess pain for all individuals and truly making a difference to the quality of life of people living with pain, especially those living with a cognitive impairment,” Ms Ucinek said.
“From my experience in digital health, medication management and as a pharmacist, I can see the benefits that PainChek’s person-centered approach can bring to the broader healthcare sector, including disability, hospital, palliative and home care.”
PainChek’s head of business development David Allsopp said the team were “delighted” to welcome Ms Ucinek to the team.
“Her proven track record in business development is complemented by her in-depth understanding of the healthcare and pharmacy sectors, making her the ideal candidate for driving PainChek’s expansion in the ANZ market,” Mr Allsopp said.
PainChek uses a smart phone camera and AI technology to detect and calculate the presence and level of pain an individual is experiencing. The app received TGA approval for use in Australia in 2017 and in 2019, it picked up $5 million in commonwealth funding for a national aged care trial.
It’s in use at 750 aged care facilities in Australia and New Zealand today, said PainChek in a statement. And two research projects are investigating the app’s effectiveness among hospitalised older adults at the Hollywood Private Hospital in Western Australia.
“The need for PainChek as a best-practice pain management solution extends to older people living at home and with access to home care packages that enable long-term home living,” said Mr Allsopp.
It also aims to benefit rural and remote communities by improving access despite workforce limitations and distance.
“In my new role, I am looking forward to continuing to challenge the way the healthcare sector thinks about pain, with the ultimate goal of having PainChek recognised as the new gold standard for pain management,” said Ms Ucinek.
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