Co-director of the UMass Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation and professor at the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing and the Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS) Dr. Karen Giuliano traveled to Ho Chi Minh City this January to conduct research as part of a seed grant awarded through UMass Amherst's participation in the International Academic Partnership Program (IAPP) Vietnam.
The IAPP Vietnam program fosters collaboration and internationalization through innovative, strategic, and sustainable partnerships between U.S. and Vietnamese institutions. The award is part of a competitive funding opportunity coordinated by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and supported by the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam.
During her week in Ho Chi Minh City from January 12–18, Giuliano met with partners at Saigon International University (SIU). “It has been a true honor to serve as a visiting professor from UMass at Saigon International University,” says Giuliano. “I was deeply touched by the warmth, generosity, and professionalism of the faculty, students, and leadership. The welcoming spirit and vibrant academic community made this an especially meaningful experience.”
Throughout her visit, she provided guidance on medical device development, shared insights from her own product development experience, and explored opportunities for ongoing collaboration. On January 15, Giuliano gave a formal seminar to a large group of students and faculty titled “Challenging Precedent: The Unconventional Journey of an Interdisciplinary Nurse Innovator,” followed by a Q&A.
“It was an honor to deliver this formal seminar highlighting the critical importance of including nurses in healthcare product development,” says Giuliano. “Nurses bring frontline insight, practical expertise, and a deep understanding of patient needs, perspectives that are essential to designing solutions that are safe, effective, and truly responsive to real-world care environments.”
Giuliano was initially awarded the grant in partnership with engineering professor Thanh Hai Le at Saigon International University, for their proposal "Bridging Technology and Traditional Medicine: A Wearable Solution for Pediatric Temperature Monitoring and Management," which outlines the development of a child-friendly, ergonomic, and safe headband that continuously monitors body temperature using multiple sensors placed at clinically relevant acupoints.
“It has been such a pleasure to host visiting professor Dr. Karen Giuliano,” says Le. “Her expertise, generosity, and collaborative spirit have enriched our academic community. The exchange of ideas and shared commitment to innovation have made this visit both inspiring and impactful for our faculty and students.”
Giuliano has over 25 years of experience in critical care nursing, medical product development and innovation, and patient-centered clinical outcomes research. Her primary focus is on general acute and critical care, with a special interest in using human-centered design to better understand how clinical needs, medical technology use, product development, and innovation intersect to improve the process of care for clinicians and the experience of care for patients. She joined UMass Amherst in 2019, and in 2021, she and engineering partner Dr. Frank Sup became the founding co-directors of the Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation. Her recent work as a 2023-2024 Fulbright Faculty Scholar at Edinburgh Napier University School of Health and Social Care also focused on interdisciplinary medical innovation.
“While the work together was meaningful and rewarding, the most heartwarming part of the trip was not the work, but rather the relationships we built,” Giuliano reflects. “The conversations, shared meals, laughter, and mutual support created connections that are foremost in my mind when I think of my Saigon International University experience.”