Born to Innovate: Cavan woman’s baby care breakthrough

Turning clinical insight into innovative solutions

From award-winning student designer to healthcare startup founder, Virginia’s Shania Taite is turning clinical insight and personal experience into innovative solutions for paediatrics, women’s health and family care.

The 26-year-old entrepreneur is in the process of further developing her startup, Saorla, following recent successes on Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers programme, where she was recipient of the ‘One to Watch’ award.

Shania’s first product, LullaMED, is a paediatric medical device designed for babies aged between zero and six months, helping to support safer, calmer and more comfortable clinical procedures for infants, parents and healthcare staff.

The idea was born during her placement with the Health Innovation Hub at University Hospital Galway while studying Product Design at nearby ATU Galway on Wellpark Road.

“Clinicians in paediatrics highlighted how difficult certain procedures could be for babies and parents,” explains Shania. “One consultant spoke about the challenges involved in casting babies born with clubfoot, where parents often have to physically hold their child still during treatment. So it started with asking if there was a way to make that experience easier for everyone.”

Clubfoot, a condition where a baby’s feet turn inward at birth, requires weekly casting during the first 12 weeks of life. Through extensive collaboration with clinicians, Shania began designing her specialist paediatric seating solution to better support babies during treatment.

What started as a college project quickly evolved into a serious healthcare innovation.

“I would bring prototypes back to clinicians, get feedback, make changes and then repeat the process again,” she said. “That constant collaboration helped shape the product into something genuinely useful in a clinical setting.”

The device has since expanded beyond its original use. Through research and interviews with hospitals including Crumlin, Temple Street, Galway, Cavan and Enniskillen, Shania has identified wider applications across paediatric care, from ECGs to vaccinations and other infant procedures.

“The feedback from parents was very strong,” she adds. “Many would prefer not to have to physically restrain their baby and instead be able to comfort them from a short distance away.”

LullaMED is now patent pending and currently progressing through manufacturing and clinical trial preparation as a Class One medical device. Shania hopes to initially bring the product to hospitals in Ireland, the UK and the Netherlands once it’s certified as meeting all regulatory controls.

The Cavan woman’s entrepreneurial journey to this stage has been shaped by years of innovation and achievement.

At Virginia College, Shania developed a passion for creativity and problem-solving, particularly through Art and Technology. For her Leaving Certificate project in 2018 she designed and built a robotic arm for use in the food processing and packaging industry, winning first place nationally at the Young Technologist Awards. She later received a €2,000 bursary at the Virginia Agricultural Show in recognition of the project.

Despite her success, Shania says her route into product design was not so straightforward, and one marked by sliding doors moments of what could have been.

After school, she initially pursued a hairdressing apprenticeship before enrolling in a QQI Level 5 Art and Design course at Cavan Institute. Although she intended to apply to NCAD, she missed the portfolio submission deadline. Instead, Shania discovered ATU’s Product Design course, which allowed students explore areas including animation, textiles, graphic design and industrial design before specialising.

“Industrial design immediately stood out because it combined creativity with problem-solving and technology,” she reflects. “It felt like the perfect fit.”

During her time at ATU, Shania immersed herself in prototyping and manufacturing technologies including 3D printing, CNC machining, laser cutting, welding and casting, while also developing a strong interest in user-centred healthcare design.

Her work earned national recognition through the HSE Spark Innovation Programme’s ‘Design on the Frontline’ Student Scholarship, which she received two years in a row. The awards saw her compete among 12 finalists nationwide developing patient-centred healthcare innovations.

In her first year, she designed a high-fidelity medical device, while her second focused on women’s health technology.

She also received the ATU Student Entrepreneur Award for medical technology and later progressed to Enterprise Ireland’s Student Entrepreneur Awards.

Shania credits much of her problem-solving mindset to her upbringing.

“My dad would always fix things himself instead of replacing them,” she said. “He was always making little improvements around the house, and I think growing up around that naturally influenced how I think and work today.”

Now progressing through Phase Three of Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers programme at Sligo-Letterkenny, overseen by Geraldine Beirne, Shania is focused on scaling Saorla, all the while exploring how to develop other future innovations across paediatrics, women’s health and family care.

“Collaboration between clinicians and designers is key to creating meaningful healthcare solutions,” she believes. “Clinicians understand the challenges, but designers can help explore new ways to solve them. Working together is what leads to the best outcomes.”

For Shania, the mission behind Saorla is deeply personal as well as professional.

“I’m passionate about improving experiences in healthcare,” she states. “There are so many opportunities to design better solutions that genuinely support patients, families and clinicians - especially in paediatrics and women’s health.”