Ny'Nika T. McFadden, Ph.D., has been named to the 2026 cohort of the Beyond Barriers Innovation Accelerator, a national program from the diabetes global nonprofit Beyond Type 1 and healthcare incubator MATTER. McFadden is an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance at Texas State University, as well as a Faculty Fellow with the university’s Translational Health Research Center (THRC).
McFadden was one of five recipients selected from a competitive, nationwide pool of nonprofits, healthcare providers, researchers and mission-driven companies working to remove barriers to diabetes care.
The project addresses gaps in diabetes diagnosis and critical care by developing interactive learning modules within a digital health platform. The modules will help people with diabetes, their caregivers, and providers navigate some of the riskiest points in the transition from pediatric to adult treatment, hospital admission and discharge, and the weeks that follow. Built around artificial intelligence, the platform will tailor and deliver educational content, monitor transition readiness and self-management behaviors, and predict the likelihood of hospital admission and readmission.
McFadden is leading the project as principal investigator, alongside colleague Shahid Shah, M.S., founder and CEO of Netspective Foundation, Inc. THRC is serving as a project collaborator, with the Texas Association of Charitable Clinics as a key community stakeholder. The work is further supported through TXST’s Office of Innovation, Commercialization and Engagement, the BobCatalyst Innovation Accelerator Program and Proof of Concept Grants.
“Care transitions are complicated to navigate, and unfortunately, gaps in care are still prevalent on a global level,” said McFadden. “We aim to implement this innovation to improve the care coordination process and to reduce healthcare expenditures.”