Therese Canares, Bus '21 (MBA), a pediatric emergency physician, has a grand vision: to save people from having to make an unnecessary trip to the doctor's office if they think they have strep throat.

Social media is abuzz with claims that strep throat is on the rise and “wreaking havoc” in the United States, but Houston doctors say the uptick is typical for the start of respiratory disease season.

Strep infections are most well known for causing strep throat, which can be treated with antibiotics. But this type of bacteria can also cause more serious illnesses—even flesh-eating infections. The ...