UNMC nursing professor Breanna Hetland, PhD, RN, presents her innovative startup company, FamilyRoom, during UNeMed’s Idea Pub: Morning Edition at Omaha Catalyst on Aug. 28, 2025. Dr. Hetland was also named UNeMed’s inaugural Faculty Entrepreneur award winner at the 2024 Innovation Awards.
OMAHA, Nebraska (August 28, 2025)—UNeMed’s first Faculty Entrepreneur awardee, Breanna Hetland, PhD, used her spotlight at the most recent Idea Pub: Morning Edition to announce the upcoming launch party of her startup, FamilyRoom.
As the featured speaker at the monthly networking event, Dr. Hetland, who is also a registered nurse, opened her brief presentation with a powerful mental image.
She asked the audience to close their eyes and quietly listen to a few seconds of an audio recording. The Forge Event Hall at Omaha Catalyst soon filled with the distinct chirps of a heart monitor; the labored but rhythmic breathing of a patient on a ventilator, and the distinctive dull hum of a hospital room caring for a critical patient.
Dr. Hetland said those were familiar sounds, but the true depth of their impact was unknown to her until her father became a patient in a critical care facility.
“As a critical care nurse, I thought I understood,” she said. “But, as a daughter, I didn’t.”
Her experience on the other side—as a family member of a critical care patient—inspired the creation of her startup company. The goal was to build a software solution that helps patients, family and clinicians better communicate during what is likely some of the worst moments in their lives. In helping family members become more than spectators, Dr. Hetland suspects her solution could help improve outcomes as well.
“Because family care is patient care,” she said.
Dr. Hetland also announced plans for the upcoming party next month that will celebrate the successful launch of her startup and present an investment opportunity for the public.
Planned for Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at the Hoff Family Arts Center in Council Bluffs at 4-7 p.m., FamilyRoom will host an evening that will include live music, an art exhibit and catered refreshments. To learn more about the launch and reserve free tickets, visit the event website here. (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/burden-bloom-tickets-1664576074849)
Lamonte Russell, UNeTech Institute’s Strategy and Ventures Manager, chats with guests during UNeMed’s Idea Pub: Morning Edition at Omaha Catalyst on Aug. 28, 2025. Russell, along with UNO’s Brent Clark (not pictured), leads the Maverick Technology Alliance, a student-led business strategy program that was UNeMed’s 2024 Innovation Champion.
Dr. Hetland has landed several awards and honors related to her innovation, including the Harriet H. Werley New Investigator Award (Midwest Nursing Research Society), the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators, the Judges Award in the Digital Tools category of the Equalize Pitch Competition and a Small Business Technology Transfer grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Morning Edition is UNeMed’s networking event for university innovators, entrepreneurs and startup community members. Catalyst Omaha co-sponsors the event and provides free tours of the spacious facility.
Morning Editions will continue to be a fixture in the Catalyst’s Forge Event Hall, located on the north end of the building. Guided tours will also continue as an added feature.
The next Morning Edition is planned for Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in the Forge Event Hall at 9 a.m.-11 a.m.
