A Lake Macquarie woman has claimed silver at the Edison Awards in New York for her Throat Scope invention.
Jennifer Holland was honoured in the Health and Wellness Patient Care category for her medical device which incorporates a tongue depressor and light source in the one easy-to-use unit.
“I always wanted to invent something that would have a positive impact on the world,” Ms Holland said.
“Now I know that will become a reality. We are going to create a movement that will lead to people using Throat Scope for early detection of Oral Cancer.
“Now we have an Edison Award behind us, I know we can go out there and potentially save lives.”
The Edison Awards honour excellence in new product and service development, marketing, human-centred design and innovation.
Award winners are described as having “game changing” products or services.
The awards attract thousands of nominations.
More than 3000 senior business executives and academics from marketing professionals, scientists and engineers join past winners to review the nominations.
“When I had the epiphany at the doctor’s surgery with my son and walked into the $2 shop to create my first prototype eight years ago, I never imagined this is where it would all lead.”
Ms Holland, who was in New York to accept the award, will now remain in the USA for another week, spruiking the Throat Scope at trade shows.
“Another dream of our team at Holland Healthcare is to take an Australian product into the US,” she said.
“Throat Scope can now be that product. We import so much product, we want to reverse that trend.”
Holland Healthcare is just the third Australian company to win at the Edison Awards since their inception in 1987.
It is the first win for a female-led Australian company, and the country’s first win in the health category.
