Success Stories
About the Project
Nuha was pregnant with her second child when she moved to Doha with her 2-year-old daughter to compete in the eleventh season of Stars of Science. The Jordanian doctor gave birth to her baby boy while developing her invention, shattering stereotypes and demonstrating that women can pursue both a career in science and have a family. And if that wasn’t enough, Nuha won second place with her active lazy eyelid sticker- created to help Bell’s Palsy patients regain control over their paralyzed upper and lower eyelids.
The condition’s characteristic droopiness or stiffness affects only one side of the face, leading to an unbalanced look, irritating dryness in the eye, and even potential cornea loss in the long-run. By engineering a wearable device that harmonizes with the individual’s look, skin tone, and eye-shape, Nuha’s project employs two microchips and electromyography (EMG) sensors to mimic the regular eyelid movement and restore function – without an invasive surgical procedure. Nuha’s innovation offers a less invasive surgery alternative for Bell’s palsy patients. Particularly, young patients can benefit from a more optimized experience when faced with sensitive eye surgery.
Nurtured by a supportive family of medical professionals, the mum-of-two embodies the type of resilience and independence that fuels innovative breakthroughs in the scientific community. Nuha defined her own path, pursuing a medical education at Ovidius University of Constanta’s Faculty of Medicine in her childhood home of Romania- her mother’s country of origin and soon established herself as a successful general practitioner and then an Ophthalmologist. An inspirational woman in her own right, when she is not concocting medical miracles or travelling, Nuha is an artist at home, wielding her limitless imagination in her paintings.
Beyond Stars of Science
Nuha is currently working at her private clinic in Amman. She applied for a patent for her innovation in May, 2020. The inventor has created a supplementary component to her project which she says will be used in multiple medical fields while also researching a pharmaceutical substance that will help with eye problems. In parallel, Nuha is also working on collaborations with several companies to develop her innovation. She’s become and highly sought-after speaker, sharing her journey as a mother and as a woman in STEM. She has won several awards, the more recent being the EUROINVENT 2021 Gold Medal Award, the Excellence in Innovation Award by the Romanian Inventors Forum and the Diploma of Excellence in EUROINVENT 2021 in addition to:
2nd place at MeWiin 2020, the Medical Social Innovation Award by Global Wiin 2020, Gold
medal and special Award in 2020 at Kaoshiung International Invention and Design Expo KIDE,
special award presented by Toronto International Society of Innovation and advanced skills (TISIAS), special award presented by World Invention Intellectual Property Associations WIIPA, Gold
medal of 1Idea1world 2021, special award presented by the Turkish Inventors Association.
Personal Reflection
Nuha manages to balance advancing in her innovation journey, running her clinic and raising her children; being there for her patients and her family. “I’m proud to represent female innovators and working mothers who continue to do amazing things every day. To all Arab women watching this show, my advice is that if I can do it, you can do it”.
Media Links
Follow dr.nuha_abuyousef
https://www.ted.com/talks/nuha_abuyousef_576_megapixels_the_resolution_of_your_eyes
