Aaron Hsu, MHS 2017 Graduate

Aaron Hsu is the co-founder, CEO, and co-inventor of the ClearMask, a Baltimore based startup that has developed the first full-face transparent surgical mask that is making healthcare more human by allowing healthcare providers to better communicate and connect with their patients and their colleagues.

Aaron began working on the ClearMask during his MHS program, after his partner of eight years, who is deaf, had to have surgery without an American Sign Language interpreter present. Although she was able to lip-read and rely on facial expressions outside of the operating room, once inside, all of her doctors, nurses, and staff were wearing surgical masks, blocking communication.

The ClearMask, as Aaron and his team discovered, has wide applicability and reflects universal, human-centered design. Over half of communication is non-verbal, and facial expressions and visual cues play a significant part in how humans convey language, feeling, and emotion. Just as how a reassuring smile can help calm an anxious child, full-face communication can help healthcare professionals reduce miscommunication, which is a factor in 80% of costly medical errors.

In just under a year, the company has been through six accelerator/incubator programs for startups, receiving funding and support from the National Science Foundation, the Johns Hopkins Social Innovation Lab, Village Capital, Gallaudet University, Maryland’s Technology Development Corporation, and more. The company expects to have FDA approval by late 2019.

Aside from working on the ClearMask, Aaron also conducts public health research at Johns Hopkins focusing on the opioid crisis. He is an author on several papers outlining the over-prescription of opioids in children, the wide variance in opioid prescribing practices among providers, and data-driven methods of developing evidence-based guidelines for opioid prescribing.