Chief Technology Officer, SchoolMe Researcher, Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
ORCID: 0000-0003-1503-2163 • LinkedIn
Bio
Adria Abella Villafranca is a mechanical engineer and the technical lead behind SchoolMe’s AI-powered medical education platform. Before moving into full-time startup leadership, Adria spent six years as Data Warehouse Administrator at the UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation, where he built and maintained the research data infrastructure that powered dozens of peer-reviewed studies and multiple patents in waveform analysis, surgical informatics, and medical device development.
He now serves as a Researcher in the Department of Surgery at VUMC, supporting translational informatics and medical device programs alongside his role as CTO of SchoolMe.
Entrepreneurial & Invention Track Record
Adria is a named inventor on multiple issued and pending patents spanning digital health, respiratory monitoring, and immersive therapeutics:
- Sound-based spirometer system (WO 2022/150453 A1) — Co-inventor.
- Immersive distraction therapy (US 11,911,569 B2, issued 2024; plus US 2022/0031997 A1, US 2024/0189540 A1).
- Endotracheal tube cuff with integrated sensors (EP 4146315 A4, US 2023/0191059 A1, CN 115461106 A) — Co-inventor on an international patent family for pediatric/neonatal airway devices.
- Tracheal collar with integrated sensors (WO 2023/220171 A1) — Co-inventor.
- Attachment device for holding an auscultation device near a smart device (WO 2021/163135 A1, US 2023/0050285 A1).
Research Program
Adria’s research contributions span waveform signal processing, medical device development, and operational forecasting:
Selected Publications
- Hayat MA, Wu J, Stephens S, Jensen H, Villafranca AA, Sanford J, Sexton KW, Jensen MO. Modeling peripheral arterial and venous pressure signals with integral pulse frequency modulation. Biomedical Signal Processing and Control. 2023.
- Crimmins-Pierce LD, Bonvillain GP, Henry KR, Hayat MA, Villafranca AA, Stephens SE, Jensen HK, Sanford JA, Wu J, Sexton KW, Jensen MO. Critical Information from High Fidelity Arterial and Venous Pressure Waveforms During Anesthesia and Hemorrhage. Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology. 2022.
- Bui H, Ekşioğlu SD, Villafranca AA, Sanford JA, Sexton KW. A long short-term memory model for forecasting the surgical case volumes at a hospital. IISE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering. 2023.
- Lelovic N, Reif R, Jensen H, Villafranca AA, Kimbrough MK, Sexton K. Resident Level is Associated with Operative Time in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy. Surgery in Practice and Science. 2024.
- Villafranca A, Turley K, Grogan E, Stirrup M, Walker L. Comparison Of A Real-time Hydration Device With Weight Loss And Saliva Osmolality Following Exercise. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2021.
- Nienaber T, Perez S, Stephenson K, Sanford J, Abella A, Jensen M, Sexton K. Developing a Digitally Integrated Endotracheal Tube for Neonates to Improve Safety and Respiratory Function. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. 2022.
Full list via ORCID.
Academic Credentials
- Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering — Harding University (Cum Laude), 2019
- ABET Fundamentals of Engineering (BSME), 2018
Honors
- Cum Laude, Harding University (2019)
- CoSIDA Academic All-District Honors, NCAA (2018)
- ITA Scholar-Athlete, NCAA (2018)
Role in the KEV.AI Lab
Adria leads the technical architecture of the lab’s deployed AI systems — from SchoolMe’s learning platform to the data pipelines underlying waveform analysis and medical device research. His combined background in mechanical engineering, signal processing, data infrastructure, and startup CTO work makes him the technical center of gravity for the lab’s translational work.