Translating Medical Device Discoveries to the Bedside: The Academic Entrepreneurship Awareness to Action (AE2A) Curriculum to Promote Training of a Diverse Workforce

Children'S Hosp Of Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

This new 2-year educational program aims to grow a national biomedical research workforce adept in medical device innovation and entrepreneurship. Through skill-building, mentorship, and networking, participants will be empowered to embark on careers translating new research findings and technologies, including artificial intelligence, into market-ready medical devices for children and adults. Eligible candidates will include graduate students in clinical, translational, or basic sciences and engineering (e.g., Master’s, PhD, MD/DMD/Nursing), postdoctoral fellows, research-oriented residents and clinical fellows, and faculty at academic institutions across the nation. Participants will learn a core curriculum supplemented with a mentored individual development plan to prepare for careers in medical device innovation (e.g., translational researcher, developer, co-founder, regulatory/safety/clinical evaluator) and a Capstone Project. Our program will be built on our free, open-source, interactive e-book, Academic Entrepreneurship for Medical and Health Scientists. Mentors and faculty for the program will include e-book authors and other nationally recognized experts in device development and entrepreneurship. Participants will benefit from support personnel and resources at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) and our nationwide research and entrepreneurship networks. Four aims are proposed: (1) Aim 1 Awareness: Increase awareness of Academic Entrepreneurship (AE) as a career path and build foundational AE skills for medical device development. Multimodal sessions with storytelling and interactive cases will introduce AE career paths and associated core concepts to a wide audience. One-day sessions will be held in hybrid format (in-person and virtual) four times per year. Session recordings will be shared online for asynchronous viewing to increase accessibility. Our outreach partners have successful national networks which will be used to enhance our recruitment and dissemination efforts. (2) Aim 2 Action: Provide further personalized training to those wishing to pursue AE focused on medical device development. Aim 1 Awareness participants can apply to AE Aim 2 Action programming, which includes a 5-day bootcamp during which they will engage in established and innovative adult learning formats like case-based activities, team-based project work on real-life devices, and modified Fishbowl discussions. (3) Aim 3 Mentor: Mentors and mentees will co-create Individual Development Plans (IDPs) to guide a mentorship program that will last up to two years. (4) Aim 4 Network/Sustain: Provide mechanisms, including the novel Expertise Knowledge Platform developed at CHOP, for all participants and program affiliates to stay connected and create a robust, sustainable AE ecosystem that will continue after IPERT funding ends. Taken together, these four aims were designed to promote our long-term goal of ensuring a skilled pipeline of talented Academic Entrepreneurs to advance medical device innovation and improve national public health.Â