HEAL Lab awarded MedNexus Innovation Grant to develop Writing to Heal app

Dr. Angie LeRoy pointing at a monitor screen with images of the Writing to HEAL app, as Sierra Wickline looks toward the screen smiling.

The HEAL Lab was awarded a MedNexus Research Innovation Grant to support the development of Writing to Heal — a mobile intervention designed to support spouses caring for a partner living with dementia. This project brings together health research, product design, and technology to address the prolonged stress of caregiving, with the goal of creating an accessible, evidence-based writing series that promotes caregiver well-being.

“It’s an honor to join the ranks of this year’s MedNexus award recipients,” said Dr. Angie LeRoy, Principal Investigator of the HEAL Lab. “These funds allow us to bring Writing to Heal from concept to reality by developing our first MVP of the app over the summer and fall of 2025. That work will pave the way for our first clinical trial in early 2026.”

This support marks an exciting milestone for the HEAL Lab and its partners, helping advance innovative approaches to caregiver support at a time when new solutions are urgently needed. We are deeply grateful to MedNexus and the University of North Florida for investing in projects that connect health, technology, and innovation.