Amy Baxter

It operates on a theory called gate control; researchers in the 1960s speculated that some kinds of sensory stimulation could interrupt pain signals traveling up the spinal cord before they reach the brain.

Buzzy, a high-frequency vibrating ice pack, interrupts neuronal pain signals to the brain by introducing alternative sensory signals.

Thus, Buzzy decreases the level of pain felt from injection.

Before entering the market with Buzzy, Baxter acquired a research grant from the NIH to properly test her device and document the results.

Once the results proved Buzzy’s effectiveness, Baxter and her team began to design it to appeal to children, which gave birth to the bumblebee design.

However, Buzzy’s applications extend beyond just injection pain control.

People have noted using it as pain relief from shingles, itching, diabetes, and more.

Another notable invention of Baxter’s is VibraCool.

VibraCool is intended for musculoskeletal and arthritis pain relief.

VibraCool uses the same concepts as Buzzy, but comes in a different shape and size.

Studies have shown that patients who use VibraCool demonstrate reduced opioid usage.

Amy Baxter has received numerous awards and recognitions for her contributions to pain management and healthcare innovation.

Here is a list of some of these accolades:

Amy Baxter M.D. (born April 24, 1967) is an American physician, entrepreneur, inventor, and pain researcher who is best known for her innovations in pain management.

As the founder of Pain Care Labs in 2005, a research group focused on reducing opioid use for pain, she was instrumental for the inventions of Buzzy, an over-the-counter needle pain device, and VibraCool, a product used to relieve pains and aches from injuries.

Baxter also serves as a Board member at HomeoLux and Director of Emergency Research at the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Associates (Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Scottish Rite).

Baxter was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky and displayed an interest in medicine and science from an early age.

At 21, Baxter transferred from Dartmouth University to Yale University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree.

She then attended Emory Medical School where she attained her medical degree.

She completed a pediatrics residency and a child maltreatment fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and a pediatric emergency medicine fellowship at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

She also obtained a K30-NIH Clinical Research Certificate at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Born to a family in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Baxter grew up in a middle class family.

As a child, Baxter suffered a fall from her childhood treehouse that resulted in several broken ribs.

This wasn’t too large of a problem for Baxter, as she had been an avid reader since an early age.

While recovering from these injuries, Baxter spent time reading investigative books, and she became heavily reliant on her father to supply her with new books to read.

One day Baxter’s father brought back a copy of Robert A. Heinlein’s Have Space - Suit Will Travel; the type of father to show tough love, he refused to give her other books until she read the fictional novel.

Baxter read the book, and thus began a lifelong adoration for Heinlein’s novels.

As a young adult, Baxter decided to write a fan-letter to Heinlein family.

Knowing that they do not have any children, she offered to be the couple’s honorary granddaughter in a letter.

They happily agreed, and Baxter unofficially became the Heinlein's adopted granddaughter.

Primarily sharing correspondences with “Granma Heinlein” over the years, Baxter and the Heinlein’s developed as sound of a grandparent/granddaughter relationship as any.

After Baxter finished medical school and residency training, she began practicing emergency pediatric medicine and has been in practice for over 20 years.

She is affiliated with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

During her tenure in practice, Baxter held roles such as Director of Emergency Research for Pediatric Emergency Medicine Associates and served as Clinical Associate Professor at the Medical College of Georgia.

Baxter’s transition into entrepreneurship was driven by a personal experience with her son’s extreme needle phobia.

Afraid that her son would grow up to be a “healthcare avoidant,” she made it a priority to find a solution for this seemingly unsolvable phobia.

Expanding her research, she discovered a significant correlation between the number of injections at an early age and fear of needles once older.

By decreasing the pain associated with these injections, Dr. Baxter aims to decrease this overall fear of needles, which is vital in the face of a pandemic.

With this goal in mind, Baxter invented Buzzy.

Buzzy combines two kinds of pain therapy into one product: cold temperature and vibrational frequencies.