Suzanne Vernazza, a specialist pelvic health physiotherapist at Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust, has been awarded a £75,000 grant to develop an app supporting pelvic health. She has 670,000 followers on social media.
Award and funding
Vernazza won a Women in Innovation award from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a government agency. The funding will help bring her app from concept to a launch-ready product.
Know Your Floors
She founded the not-for-profit organisation Know Your Floors in 2021, posting hundreds of 'squeeze along' videos on TikTok to encourage regular pelvic floor exercises. The app will build on this community engagement.
Impact on pelvic health
Vernazza noted that many people adapt their lives around bladder leaks, prolapse, bowel problems, or pelvic pain, often feeling embarrassed to seek help. The app aims to provide trusted, approachable support. Pelvic health issues affect one in three women and one in six men.
Funding's significance
She described the funding as transformational, enabling beta testing and validation of an AI-supported information feature to ensure the app is clinically robust and trustworthy.
