Stephen Eckel is working to make IV therapy safer

As an innovator and entrepreneur, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Associate Professor Stephen Eckel is working to take human error out of intravenous (IV) therapy preparation.

Eckel was motivated by a study he helped conduct that found that 86% of the time IV therapy dose amounts were within 10% of the prescribed dose. But that meant 14% of the time, the amounts were off by more than 10%. Such imprecision is potentially dangerous. Eckel set out to fix the problem.

“We developed a device that connects to an off-the-shelf syringe to ensure that we match up 1-to-1 every time,” says Eckel, who also serves as the pharmacy school’s associate dean for global engagement and is director of pharmacy, innovation services with the UNC Medical Center.

Eckel did not start out as an innovator and entrepreneur. With funding and other support from Eshelman Innovation, he has started a company to turn his life-saving ideas into reality, he says during the latest installment of the video series “North Carolina Innovators You Should Know,” hosted by Eshelman Innovation Executive Director John Bamforth. Watch the video interview to learn more.

Through its video series, Eshelman Innovation, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2024, introduces viewers to UNC-Chapel Hill innovators, like Eckel, and those at other institutions and companies.

“A rich ecosystem of innovation exists in North Carolina,” Bamforth says. “This video series shines a light on trailblazers across the state.”

Thank you to the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media for filming this interview at the Curtis Media Center.